


The Future Belongs to Us

by Anonymous



Series: A New Dawn [5]
Category: ARGONAVIS from BanG Dream! AAside (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Gender Changes, Angst, Domestic Fluff, Fluff, Future Fic, Loss, Multi, Post-Canon, Some mature themes, child rearing, cuteness, fem!Ren, random shiz
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-12
Updated: 2020-11-21
Packaged: 2021-03-08 08:08:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 34,967
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26968765
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/
Summary: A collection of drabbles and short-stories surrounding Nayuta and Ren raising their daughter, and Yuuto and Wataru raising their son.
Relationships: Asahi Nayuta/Nanahoshi Ren, Goryo Yuto/Matoba Wataru, Goryo Yuuto/Matoba Wataru
Series: A New Dawn [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1964038
Comments: 22
Kudos: 65
Collections: Anonymous





	1. Beachside

**Author's Note:**

> And here's the final collection! I had so many ideas for this little verse in such a short time that it would be massive if I were to make each idea an individual story, so I made it a collection!

It was soon decided that the two bands would go to the beach upon the insistence of the kids.

Nayuta had originally told them to just go but not to bother about him, but all it took was for Yukina to look at him with large sad eyes and ask him whether he didn't want to spend time with her for him to balk and give in. 

And of course, with Nayuta coming along, the rest of his members jumped on the ship as well, and so Gyroaxia joined Argonavis in their trip.

And so one fateful Sunday in the summer found the two bands at the beach. They set up not too far from the shore and set up umbrellas to give the two kids shade. Rio had decided to bring Pon-chan along as well on their trip, so along with the bags of toys and beach stuff was a bag full of things to help maintain a husky in the hot summer. 

"Are you sure you won't join us?" Ren asked once more, carrying her daughter in her arms. 

Nayuta pursed his lips. "I already said I'd stay behind and look after our stuff," he said. "Besides, I don't even like the beach." 

Yukina's eyes widened, tears starting to form. "Papa won't play with us?" she asked, trying to use the charm that guaranteed her father would give her anything she wanted. 

Ren sighed, knowing that Nayuta had already dug his hole and would refuse to leave. "I'm sorry, Yukina, but Papa needs to stay and make sure our things aren't stolen. We wouldn't want Pon-chan's toys to vanish, would we?" 

Yukina shook her head, the explanation satisfying her for now. "Until then, we can go play with your uncles and Akira-kun!" Ren told her, turning towards the water. "Look! Uncle Banri's already ready for us!" 

"Have fun," Nayuta murmured as his family wandered off to join Banri, who was waving to them from the water. As Yukina waved to Akira being held by Yuuto from her comfortable perch in her mother's arms, Nayuta pulled the sunglasses resting on his head down over his eyes. Just because he generally disliked the beach didn't mean he wouldn't take the chance to relax when he got it. 

"Thought you'd stay here by yourself?"

_So much for relaxing when he got the chance..._

Annoyance filling him once more, he pulled off his sunglasses and turned his head to the side to see the other four members of his band taking their positions on the blankets they had laid down. "Shouldn't you guys go play?" he asked.

Kenta grinned. "Well, we can always go play later," he said. 

"Besides, we can't leave our precious vocalist all by himself now, can we?" Miyuki grinned, already spread out on the beach chair and working on his tan. 

Nayuta sighed in frustration. "Just don't cause a ruckus," he grumbled, turning his gaze back to the water, scanning the various people playing near the water's edge for his family. Luckily, it didn't take long for him to find Ren alongside Yuuto and Wataru, since they weren't too far in, staying close to the shore since Yukina and Akira were young. In contrast, Banri and Rio were swimming quite far into the sea, their bobbing heads in the distance quite hard to make out. 

"It's their first time here, isn't it?" Reon suddenly asked. 

Nayuta hummed. "We didn't get the chance to bring her earlier."

"Or rather you didn't want to," Kenta corrected him. "Well, it looks like those two are having fun at least." 

Ryo then reappeared, having bought popsicles for the five of them. Nayuta accepted the cold treat wordlessly, not taking his gaze off his daughter playing happily in the water. 

"That's what's most important, isn't it?" Reon asked, smiling softly at the sight of the two kids' overjoyed faces. 

Nayuta hummed softly. As long as Yukina came out of this with a happy memory, he was ready to go anywhere or bear anything. 

Well, easier said than done, considering that it was a particularly hot day, and that even with the umbrellas they put up, Nayuta soon found himself drenched in sweat. 

The other band soon returned from the water, kids in tow. Yukina had immediately run up to him to hug him, but Nayuta was too hot and was forced to reject the hug, instead allowing her to babble on about all the fun she had playing in the water. 

It was then lunchtime, and Miyuki whipped out his portable grill, and Rio unveiled his famous egg and katsu sandwiches, following which the others practically jumped on him, leading him to place restrictions and allow the kids to take the first pick. With the threat of giving the sandwiches away to someone else heavy over their heads, the adults got in line and waited patiently for their turn, grumbling about how it was unfair because Yukina insisted on sharing her sandwich with her parents and Akira wouldn't take one unless both Yuuto and Wataru had taken their share. 

They grilled meat and Miyuki allowed himself to gloat as the two watched in awe as he showed off his grilling skills. Yuuto had of course raided a local specialty store and had brought two full cartons of Ribbon Napolin (negotiated down from four, according to Wataru.) To Wataru's further horror, Akira seemed to have taken a liking to Napolin too, causing Wataru to complain to Yuuto about pushing his strange orange drink addiction onto his son. 

Full from lunch and tired from all the playing, the two kids were quick to fall asleep, and Argonavis also began to settle in for a quick nap. Akira had fallen asleep on Wataru's arm, with Yuuto beside them gently stroking the child's dark hair. Banri was already fast asleep, snoring loudly, and Rio had settled in with a book, after making sure that Pon-chan was fed and watered to make sure the dog wouldn't overheat. 

"We'll go cool off then," Kenta told Ren as the rest of his bandmates shrugged their shirts off. 

Ren nodded. "You should take him too," she said, pointing to Nayuta. 

"Hah? Why me?" Nayuta protested. 

"Nayuta-kun, please," Ren said. "Just looking at you is making me feel warm. You really should go and swim for a while since the water is nice and cool." She shuddered slightly. “I feel like I’ll melt just watching you.”

"I'm fine," Nayuta insisted. 

Ren raised an eyebrow at him, gesturing to the fine layer of sweat that had formed on his skin and the flush of overheating on his face. 

"What about-?" he began to protest once more but she was quick to cut him off. 

"I'm here, aren't I?" she asked. "I can watch over Yukina, so go have fun without any worries." 

Nayuta sighed, knowing that he had no more moves left to wriggle out of this. Giving up, he shrugged off the button-down shirt he was wearing, continuing to grumble under his breath. 

Kenta watched their interaction with a bemused look. Even after all these years, seeing them squabble was fun to watch. 

Nayuta then slipped his wedding ring off his finger. "Oh, is it loose?" Ren asked. 

He nodded. "I'll have to get it refitted soon," he said. 

Ren held out her hand. "Give it to me then. I'll hold onto it for you till you get back." 

Nayuta hummed, handing his ring over, ignoring how his finger felt strange and naked without the white gold band hugging it. Almost the moment he handed it over, Reon was at his side, dragging him to the water on Kenta's orders. Ren laughed lightly as Nayuta continued to be bullied by his bandmates, turning her attention to her sleeping daughter at her side, gently petting her stomach. 

Ren lay her head down on the blanket, allowing the heat from the sun and the fullness from lunch lull her into sleep as Nayuta dipped beneath the waves. 

Nayuta wouldn't admit it, but Ren was right, and being in the water was incredibly calming. The water's coolness immediately melted away the fatigue from the heat he was earlier feeling, despite the fact that the sun was shining so brightly overhead. 

_Now if only his members would disappear so he could really relax..._

"So she finally talked you into joining us, huh?" Miyuki teased. 

"Shut up," Nayuta grumbled. 

They swum around for a bit, goading and teasing Nayuta till he dunked them under the water and threatened to drown Miyuki as Kenta dealt with Ryo, who seemed to be enjoying dipping down to the seabed and showing off all the weird alien like life he could find. Reon took the chance to vent his feelings at Nayuta by dunking him but quickly regretted it as the vocalist lashed out at him. 

Finally getting to the end of his tether, Nayuta decided to get out of the water to get back to his family, and Kenta as usual would accompany him. As expected, by the time he got out of the water, Kenta had already prepared towels as well as a new shirt for him to wear, to which he was silently thankful. 

However, as the two talked as they wiped themselves off, Nayuta suddenly found a presence beside him. Turning, he found a strange woman on his arm. 

"Hello there," she cooed. "Wanna play with us for a bit?" She gestured to her other two friends behind her. 

Kenta's eyes widened slightly as he realized that had just happened. Because Nayuta had removed his wedding ring, these women thought he was single. 

However, Nayuta clicked his tongue in annoyance. "Get lost," he said harshly, not even looking in her direction. "You're in the way." 

"D-don't be so harsh," the woman said. "It wouldn't hurt to play with us, right?" She reached her hand out, laying it on his defined chest. 

He grabbed it, turning to her, his red eyes seething with fury. "I said, you're in the way." 

On the side, Kenta sighed softly. Even after all this time, Nayuta still had a one-track mind. And anyone who stood in the way of him getting to where he wanted to be, whether that was a stage or back to his family, would immediately regret it. 

Ignoring the hurt looks on the strangers' faces, Nayuta stormed back towards his family, irritation flickering in his gaze. Behind him, Kenta was left to clean up the mess, informing the women that Nayuta was married and had a child, and to apologize for his harshness. 

* * *

Yukina slowly awoke from her nap to find that her mother was fast asleep next to her and her father was nowhere to be seen. 

Rubbing the sleep out of her eyes, she began looking around for her father. The last she remembered, he was beside her before she fell asleep, so he wouldn't have gone too far, would he? 

Her violet gaze fell to the shoreline, scanning the people until she finally spotted silvery white and intense red heads. She sat up at once, about to call out for her father when she suddenly noticed that he wasn't alone. 

Her eyes widened when she saw a strange woman on her father's arm. The child turned to her side quickly to confirm that her mother really was still asleep and back to the scene in front of her. She quickly confirmed that she hadn’t mistaken her mother for someone else, and that some other woman really was at her father’s side.

Somehow, the scene of another woman with her father was enough for her to begin crying. 

Ren awoke with a start to her daughter crying. "Yukina? What's wrong?" 

Yukina refused to speak, simply continuing to cry as Ren brought her close, stroking her back and attempting to soothe her, still not having any clue what had set the child off. 

Nayuta arrived then, his annoyed scowl immediately replaced by concern the moment he heard his daughter's cries. "Hm, what's wrong?" he asked. 

"I-I don't know," Ren replied, looking up at him with worry in her eyes. "She just started crying." 

Nayuta reached out, fluffing her pale curls in an attempt to calm her. It seemed to have an effect, as she turned around and looked at him. She then left Ren to hold onto him, clinging tightly onto his shirt. 

"What's the matter with you, huh?" Nayuta asked her softly. "We won't know unless you tell us, you know." 

"Papa..." Yukina sobbed. 

"Did you feel lonely because Papa went to play while you were asleep?" Ren tried guessing. 

She shook her head, causing Nayuta to sigh and stroke her back. "So, tell us." 

"Papa...not with Mama..." she said through sobs. 

"Huh?" Ren was more than a little confused about what her daughter was babbling about. 

"What are you even talking about?" Nayuta complained. "Why would I not be with your mother? We're married, for God's sake." 

Yukina looked up at Nayuta with teary eyes. "Papa...was not...with Mama..." she repeated and pointed to the shore with her tiny hand. 

Ren gasped lightly as the lightbulb flashed in her head. "Did...did you see your father get hit on?" she guessed. 

Yukina nodded, turning her head back into Nayuta's chest, continuing to cry. Ren looked up at Nayuta. "Nayuta-kun, what happened?" 

He clicked his tongue. "Nothing did," he said. "Some women approached me and Satozuka, but I told them to get lost." 

_That sounds like something Nayuta-kun would say_ , Ren thought. She then turned her attention back to her crying daughter. "Was seeing your father with someone else that disturbing for you?" she gently asked her daughter. 

Nayuta sighed heavily, picking the child up so she was eye level with him. "You certainly have a lot of worries for a two-year-old, don't you?" he grumbled. 

"Papa?" she asked. 

"Seriously, you're just like your mother, always worrying about unnecessary things," Nayuta continued, bringing her to his chest and running his fingers through her curls. "But, if it makes you feel better, I have no intention of leaving you and your mother." 

Yukina's cries had come down to quiet sniffles as she looked up at him. "Papa won't leave?" she asked. 

"Of course I won't," Nayuta scoffed. "So dry your eyes now. You came here to have fun, didn't you?" 

She ran the back of her hand over her eyes, forcing a relieved laugh after her father's assurances. Ren then picked her up from behind, bringing her close, and the child looked up at her in confusion. 

"I'll take it from here, Nayuta-kun," Ren told him. 

He sighed heavily once more, nodding. As Ren tended to Yukina, a small worry started seeping in his mind, that maybe she wouldn't enjoy the beach anymore? While he himself didn't like the beach, they had come here with hopes of making happy memories with the kids. 

On the side, Wataru sat up, looking over at them. "Were my ears deceiving me or was Yukina crying?" he asked. 

"It's all fine, Wataru," Ren told him. "Nothing to worry about!"

Wataru pursed his lips once he saw Yukina's puffy eyes and tear streaked face, but now that she wasn't crying anymore, decided not to further pursue it. 

* * *

The end of the day came quick, and soon the bands had all returned to their homes. Luckily, they had played games the last couple of hours they spent at the beach, and Yukina left laughing, relieving Nayuta and Ren. 

Currently, Nayuta stood in the kitchen, sipping a glass of water as Ren put Yukina to bed. As he sipped, his thoughts went back to the incident earlier that day. 

Their child was so sensitive that the sight of her father with someone other than her mother was enough to cause her distress. As Nayuta allowed a small smile on his lips, he recalled that at her age, such a worry wouldn't have struck him, since for the longest he could remember, his father had always been around other women than his mother. 

He gritted his teeth slightly at the memory. Being a father had only deepened his hate towards his own father, especially seeing how much of a coward he was for being so frivolous and abandoning his family so easily. 

In the back of his mind, he thought that what Yukina thought was how it should be, that Ren should always be by his side, not anyone else. 

His thoughts were interrupted as Ren returned. "She's sleeping now," she told him, reaching past him to get her own glass of water. 

"And is she...?" 

"I don't think it affected her too much," Ren replied. "After all, she told me we should visit the beach again." 

Nayuta released a breath. "That's a relief." 

"I know," Ren let out a laugh. "I was worried she'd grow to hate the beach, but at least she has a good memory of it." Retrieving her glass, she began pouring some water into it. "Oh, and speaking of the beach, Wataru had the idea today to have a summer themed song! He's already working on the lyrics as we speak, most likely-"

"Ren."

"Yeah?" she asked, a bit surprised at being cut off mid-sentence. Turning to her side, she found Nayuta leaning on the counter, his red eyes boring into her soul, as if searching for something. 

"How do you feel?" 

Ren blinked.

"I realized I forgot, because we were busy dealing with Yukina," he explained. "How do you feel?"

Ren turned away from his piercing gaze. "Are you asking how I feel about you getting hit on?" she asked slowly. 

He gave a grunt of approval, and she sighed, placing the glass down. 

"If I'm being honest, I'm glad I didn't see it," Ren said, turning her gaze to the water jug to avoid looking at Nayuta. 

"Hm?" 

Ren took a deep breath. "If I'm being completely honest, I hate it." Her grip on the glass tightened ever so slightly. "I hate that if I'm not at your side, people assume you're single. I hate that even with your ring, people still approach you." 

She exhaled. "And I also know you can't control people, but it...just...sucks...because Nayuta-kun is supposed to be _mine_." Her voice wavered slightly and she took a moment to steady herself. "And I hate that it's so easy for me to forget it, that I'm not the only person who can be attracted to you, the only person your music touched. I...worry...that one day, you'll meet someone better than me, and you'll realize you could have done better." She sniffed slightly as Nayuta tilted his head, continuing to observe her. "I...know it's not related, but hearing that you still get hit on makes me worry that I'm taking you for granted, because we've been together for so long and have a child together, it's easy for me to forget that others desire you too."

She gritted her teeth slightly. "And I hate it," she admitted. "I want to keep you away, mark you, scream to the world that you're mine. Just...anything that would make everyone know you're taken, and that I have no intention of giving you up." 

Ren raised her eyes in surprise when she heard a small chuckle from Nayuta, an incredibly rare thing even in the ten plus years they had known each other. "N-Nayuta-kun?" 

"As I thought," he breathed. "Yukina's just like you, worrying over every little thing." 

Ren gave an indignant huff, and Nayuta moved closer to her, leaning close to place a kiss on her cheek. "I _am_ yours," he gently assured in a low voice. "Your worries should also be mine, because let me remind you that _I_ pursued _you_." 

He wrapped his arms around her from behind, pressing soft kisses down her jaw, eliciting a sigh from her. "I chose _you_ , Nanahoshi Ren," he murmured. "You're the only one I want at my side. You and Yukina." 

He turned her in his arms, pressing her against the counter as he leaned forward, tilting his head to gain access to her neck, continuing to run his lips down. His fingers entangled with hers, brushing their wedding bands together. 

_I probably left you lonely_ , he thought silently. _I'm sorry._ However, he couldn't bring himself to say it aloud, instead pulling away from Ren's neck to press his lips to hers, delighting as she responded by bringing her arms up and tangling them in his hair. 

They pulled away for air, both breathing heavily. "She's sleeping, right?" he asked. 

"Won't wake up till morning," Ren assured him. "Guest room?" 

Nayuta gave a small hum, capturing her lips once more. 

A lot was left unsaid, but if Ren had learned anything from being with someone like Nayuta all this time, it was that more than enough was said through their actions.


	2. Cry Wolf

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After hearing the story of the boy who cried wolf, Yukina grows terrified of Pon-chan.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Because I wanted to write Pon-chan in the future, this thing came out of it! 
> 
> Headcanon: Nayuta is the dad who refers to the dog as "the dog" but insists on watching TV with it.

The scene in the daycare seemed to be one of fear and tear streaked faces when Ren, Yuuto and Wataru dropped by to pick up their kids.

"Koharu-san," Ren asked as she lifted her daughter into her arms. "Did something happen?" 

The pink haired man chuckled lightly. "Nothing much," he said. "At least it wasn't their faults. One o' the other kids told a lie so I told 'em all the story of the boy who cried wolf." 

"So you told them that if they lied a wolf would come and eat them?" Wataru asked, narrowing his eyes slightly. 

"Well, not exactly," Koharu pointed out. "I told them that if they lied so much that when a wolf actually came that no one would believe them." 

At his summary of the story both Akira and Yukina cuddled deeper into their parents. 

"I think that was still too scary for them," Yuuto sighed, trying to reassure his son. 

"But still, if that means they won't try to lie, then that might be a blessing in disguise," Ren said, looking at Yukina. "Lying won't get you anywhere in life, so it's good to not pick up the habit in the first place." 

_Also your father doesn't tolerate lying,_ she thought silently, knowing his extremely vocal hatred for all things insincere.

The daycare Nayuta and Ren had chosen was one recommended to them by Mitsurugi Koharu, a member of the band Fantome Iris, whose acquaintance they had made a decade ago when they competed in Live Royal Festival together. As the visual kei band had stayed in Tokyo for further activities, Koharu had quit his part time job and had returned to his original post as a teacher in an elementary school. Lucky for them, the elementary school was not only connected to a daycare, but also a preschool. And Koharu had highly recommended the daycare when Ren had approached him upon her getting back to work, since his own son had been cared for in that place and was now studying in the elementary school. When Yuuto and Wataru had taken Akira in, they began sending him to the same place since not only did they have the thumbs up of someone who was experienced, but also the boy's new best friend was also there and they felt it wrong to have to separate them.

Also, since Koharu dropped by the daycare once in a while, the kids had really come to adore him and his gentleness, and only the adults were left knowing his intense and aggressive persona on stage. 

"We'll see you tomorrow, Koharu-san!" Ren waved once they were at the door. "Thanks for everything!" 

The pink haired man grinned, waving to them. "Anytime!" he called out. "Anything for my favorite juniors!" 

Wataru smiled. "He calls everyone that, doesn't he?" 

"He does," Yuuto agreed. "I heard him call Kohei-san his favorite junior at the last leaders' meet." 

Ren and Yukina got off as Wataru pulled up outside their house, with praise of good work hanging in the air. Yukina especially waved goodbye furiously to Akira who was waving back through the window as the van drove off. 

"Let's go inside, shall we?" Ren asked. 

Yukina then reached up and gently held onto her pants, making Ren smile as they walked inside. 

Once they had made their way inside, they heard the common yip of their dog and the sound of his claws hitting the wood floor as he ran down from upstairs to greet them. "Oh look, Pon-chan is here," Ren exclaimed as the husky made his appearance. "Yukina, can you say 'I'm home?'" 

When she looked down at her daughter however, she saw a scene of absolute terror as her daughter clung to her. 

"Yukina?" 

Yukina then buried her face in her mother's leg as she let out a squeal of fear, especially as the dog moved closer to lick her face like he always did on a daily basis. Ren then picked her up, lifting her off the ground as she snuggled into her, her small body trembling slightly. 

"Yukina, what's wrong?" she asked gently. "It's just Pon-chan." 

"W-wolf..." her daughter said through hiccups. 

"Wolf?" Ren repeated. 

"Wolf...e-eat me..."

It then clicked in Ren's mind and she sighed. "Yukina," she said softly. "I know you're scared, but this is Pon-chan. He's not a wolf, he's a dog, see?" 

Yukina turned to look at the dog once more, who was sitting patiently with a wagging tail waiting to be petted, and turned her face back into her mother's chest. "W-wolf!" she repeated. 

For the next hour, no matter what Ren tried, Yukina refused to budge, still absolutely terrified of her dog. Eventually, it came that Ren was forced to separate them and put Pon-chan in another room, where he sat barking because he wanted to be with the rest of his family. 

Nayuta arrived then, stifling a frustrated yawn and rubbing the nape of his neck. "I'm home," he called out as he slipped out of his shoes. "It's been a stressful practice, so did you put any coffee-" He paused mid-sentence, registering the absence of the dog greeting him and the barks echoing through the home, as well as the quiet cries of his daughter. 

He went in search of answers and found them in the living room, with his wife trying to fruitlessly comfort their daughter. "What happened?" 

Ren looked up when she heard his voice. "Oh, welcome back, Nayuta-kun," she said, her voice heavy with exasperation. "I could use some help here." 

Nayuta went over to them, sitting next to Ren so he could stroke Yukina's back. "What the hell happened?" he asked. 

"W-wolf..." Yukina told him, pointing to the closed door where the barking emanated from. 

"Hah?" Nayuta was now exhausted and utterly confused, not a good combination in general. "What are you talking about? There's no wolf in this house." 

"She's talking about Pon-chan," Ren clarified for him. 

"The dog?" Nayuta was now even more confused. "Why would you be scared of your own dog?" 

Yukina ignored him, continuing to cry into her mother, making Ren sigh. "She heard the story of the boy who cried wolf in daycare today," she explained. "Now she thinks Pon-chan is a wolf who'll eat her."

"That's just stupid."

"Nayuta-kun!" 

"What? I'm right, aren't I?" 

"Maybe so," Ren sighed. "But she's a child! She's got a wild imagination." Ren cast a look down at her for a moment, stroking her hair as her cries subsided now that her father was here too. "And for a child, I can see how a husky looks like a wolf." 

Nayuta clicked his tongue. "Still dumb," he said. He gently patted Yukina's shoulder to get her attention, rewarded with it when she turned around to look at him. "Why are you scared of the same dog who's been with you since you were a baby?" he asked. 

"He'll eat me," the small child trembled. 

"If he wanted to eat you he would have done so by now," Nayuta grimly pointed out, attempting to get her to see just how absurd her reasoning was. "Or do you now think he's been biding his time?" 

The suggestion had the opposite effect to what Nayuta had intended, sending the child crying louder into her mother's arms. 

_"Na-yu-ta-kun!"_ Ren cried through gritted teeth. "Please don't go giving our daughter ideas when she's terrified out of her mind!" 

He shrugged. "I'm trying to be logical," he justified. 

"She's _two_! She's not logical in the _slightest_!" 

Nayuta sighed. "Then what am I supposed to do?" 

Ren's eyes flickered around the room for a moment as she thought about it. Oh, what she would give for Wataru or Yuuto to be here. At least those two were pros at handling conflict. "Just...can you go and calm Pon-chan down? He's quite riled up but his barking is scaring Yukina more." 

Nayuta looked like he wanted to say something or retort, but the look on Ren's face told him that it wasn't the right time. So instead he simply nodded, getting up and going into the closed door to placate the confused and excited dog. 

Yukina had also insisted in the night that the door be closed, since Pon-chan had the habit of strolling into their bedroom and sleeping on the floor. Nayuta had done so on Ren's insistence, although he had grumbled the whole time about how it was dumb. Luckily, Pon-chan's regular sleeping place was in the living room, so the dog had slept peacefully downstairs. And with the door closed and her parents on either side of her, Yukina fell soundly asleep. 

Although, her parents stayed awake, one out of worry and the other out of annoyance. 

"I'm worried, Nayuta-kun," Ren admitted. "She's never been this scared of him before." She blinked a few times, a crease settling in between her furrowed brows. "Although, it is true that Rio took care of Pon-chan for that first year, but it's been a very long time since they've met! Is it some latent fear of pets? Will we have to give Pon-chan away?" she fretted. 

"Tch," Nayuta clicked his tongue. "You're overthinking this again." 

Ren looked up at him, his voice cutting through the train of thought going out of control with the idea that she would have to give the dog she had raised from a tiny puppy away because her child was terrified of him. 

"She's a _child_ ," Nayuta pointed out once more, his voice gentler now. "She's got the memory of a goldfish. She probably won't even remember the story in the morning." 

"You're...positive?" Ren asked softly. 

Nayuta held his hand up, cupping her cheek and running his thumb gently along her cheekbone, causing Ren's eyes to flutter close at the intimate gesture. It felt...comforting, as if Nayuta somehow knew her plight. 

"Trust me," he said softly. "She'll forget all about it tomorrow."

* * *

She did not forget about it in the morning, or for the next several mornings after. 

In fact, she didn't forget about it for a whole week. 

It had come to a point where she would still and tremble upon seeing the dark grey dog and would refuse to move unless he was taken away. This had led to Ren begging Nayuta to take Yukina to daycare in the mornings, causing him to grumble as it meant he would have to go to his practices later than usual. 

And in the nights, Yukina wouldn't sleep unless the door was closed, as if Pon-chan was a monster she needed to keep at a distance. 

The entire time, Ren was at her wits end, struggling to balance between her toddler and dog. Having to keep them apart the whole day as even the sight of the husky's tail was enough for the child to burst into tears eventually took its toll on the young mother. 

And it certainly didn't help that Nayuta was finally _annoyed_. 

"It's just a stupid story," he complained. "Why the hell isn't she forgetting about it?" 

Ren sighed heavily. "I seriously don't know..." she trailed off. She cast a heavy glance behind her at the napping toddler. "This is serious, isn't it?" she asked softly. 

Nayuta raised an eyebrow. "Are you overthinking again?" he asked. "I told you, it'll blow over sooner or later." 

"But it hasn't!" Ren exclaimed. "If anything it seems to have gotten worse." 

"Don't I know it," Nayuta murmured, still very unenthused about the fact that he couldn't call practices when he wanted to because the child now came first, and that the situation had him being pelted with questions left and right from his members. He then looked at her once more, seeing her with her head in her hands, the exhaustion from constant practices, the stress of an upcoming live compounding with this new problem in her house. 

"You should rest," he told her. 

Ren looked up at him. "I'm not tired though," she said, trying and failing to force a smile. 

"Who do you think you're trying to fool?" Nayuta asked, not one to keep things inside. 

She sighed. "W-will it be alright though?" she asked. 

He nodded. "Rest," he told her. "You'll be useless on stage if you're tired, and then you won't be able to put on a good show." 

Ren exhaled, knowing that Nayuta knew her one true weakness was the thought of not being able to perform at her best, especially since her friends had spent so much time amd effort preparing, and people had spent their hard earned money to see them perform. "I'll...take a quick nap then." 

It only took a few minutes for Ren to fall fast asleep next to her daughter, and Nayuta scoffed lightly at the sight. "Seriously," he murmured to himself. "If you're tired, then sleep. Why the hell do you feel guilty resting when it's your day off?" 

He left the bedroom and went down to the kitchen on the lower floor, looking for a snack. Going over to the pantry, he opened it to find it empty. 

"No snacks," he said to himself. "We're out of coffee too." 

He cast a quick look behind him at the living room, seeing the husky sleeping soundly on his dog bed in the corner. He considered his options. 

Normally he'd call Kenta to run his errands for him, but Kenta was currently busy with the higher ups at the company today, discussing plans for a tour in the coming months. Which meant that Nayuta would need to go and get his snacks and coffee himself. 

He cast a look up at the ceiling. It would be fine, wouldn't it? All he had to do was run down to the convenience store, grab his stuff and return. The dog and his child were separated by an entire floor, and Ren was still there, albeit in deep sleep. 

Him leaving for ten minutes shouldn't hurt, should it? 

Silently, he grabbed his wallet and slipped out of the house, trying to make sure not to wake the dog up. As he made his way down the block, he couldn't stop this nagging feeling in the back of his mind that he had forgotten something.

* * *

Yukina woke up not long after Nayuta had left, registering her mother still in a deep sleep. Instinctively, she reached out to wake her up, but then recalled a similar instance where her father had picked her up and told her to let her mother sleep. 

Hence, being the good child she was, Yukina decided not to wake her mother up, instead slipping out of the bed to go and look for her father. However, she hesitated slightly at the staircase, knowing that if she was up here, then the dog was downstairs. 

"P-Papa?" she cautiously called out. 

No answer. 

Yukina looked around. She couldn't go downstairs to find her father, no way, not when the wolf she feared so much was probably waiting to just pounce on her and gobble her up. 

She called again to no answer once more. Had her father gone out? 

If so, how could she find him? 

Her violet eyes fell to the balcony in the room in front of her, the balcony that was currently open, having a view of the street in front of their house.

A vantage point! 

The child scurried off to the balcony, hoping to get a glimpse of her father.

* * *

Nayuta grunted in exasperation, checking his watch once more. 

His errand had taken him way too long, and all because of a series of events he had no control over. For some reason, almost everyone had decided that today was the day to crowd the convenience store, leading to a massive line being formed at the cashier, and this was leaving the trouble Nayuta had to go through to get a bag of coffee powder. And to make matters worse, he'd been recognized as Gyroaxia's vocalist and had been forced to bite down insults as this random man he didn't know blabbered on about how cool he was on stage. 

He'd attempted to slip away after paying for his stuff, but the fan had insisted on following him for an entire block, asking about his musical plans and telling him how much he supported him. Eventually, his phone had rung and he had run off, leaving Nayuta to sigh in relief. 

All the things had made what should have been a ten minute errand take thirty-five minutes. 

Hopefully nothing bad had happened since he had left. 

As he walked towards his house, he quickly checked his phone to make sure that he hadn't missed any important calls from Kenta. 

"Papa!" 

Nayuta stopped in his tracks. 

Was that...Yukina?

His head shot up, searching for the source of the voice. His eyes landed on the second storey of his home, at the balcony where a tiny child was peeking out through the railings, waving at him. The same balcony that they generally kept closed as some of the poles had come off, making some large gaps from where Yukina could slip through. He'd been meaning to call someone to get it fixed on his next day off, but it had slipped his mind.

Nayuta froze. _That was what he had forgotten._

The world slowed down around him as the plastic bag slipped through his fingers, falling to the ground. _Get back!_ he tried to say. _You'll fall!_

However, his mouth wouldn't work. 

Yukina then attempted to stand, and as if in slow motion, slipped. 

Nayuta began to sprint, abandoning the supplies on the ground. If he could just get there in time, he might be able to catch her. 

As he watched, before she fell beyond the boundaries of the railing, the large grey dog appeared behind the child, grabbing onto her shirt with his teeth, and tugged her backwards.

Nayuta slowed down to a jog when he saw that, relief filling him like a container. As the shock passed, the child then began to wail from the realisation that she had almost just fallen from a great height. Meanwhile, Pon-chan sat at her side, wagging his tail and nosing her slightly. 

Nayuta took a deep breath, entering his home and going upstairs, where Ren had just awoken from the sounds of her daughter crying. "Nayuta-kun? What happened?" she asked, making her way towards the balcony. 

However, she paused when she saw Yukina hugging the dog and crying, as the dog panted happily, his tongue rolling out of his mouth and his tail moving behind him like a motor. 

"She almost fell," Nayuta explained. "The dog pulled her back." 

Ren's eyes widened slightly, but her gaze softened when she saw the heartwarming scene in front of her. "At least she's safe," Ren murmured, and Nayuta nodded, glad that she overlooked his mistake.

He moved forward, placing his hand on his daughter's head. "Not so afraid of the dog anymore, are you?" he gently asked. 

Pon-chan gave a happy yip.

* * *

When Ren, Wataru and Yuuto dropped by the daycare the next day, the scene was wildly different. 

Koharu chuckled softly as Ren picked Yukina up. "I suppose something happened then?" he asked. "She spent the whole day today telling everyone that wolves aren't scary and that one saved her life." 

Ren laughed slightly. "I suppose one did," she agreed, gazing down at her daughter. 

"It's good though that she's no longer afraid of Pon-chan," Wataru pointed out. 

"Yeah," Koharu sighed. "But now no one's afraid of the wolf anymore, I'll have to think of another way to stop them from lying." 

"You should just bring Nayuta in," Yuuto suggested, picking Akira up. "They'll never lie again once he speaks to them." 

_"Yu!"_ Wataru exclaimed. "Do you want to traumatize the kids for life? Because _that_ is how you get traumatized kids!" 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'd put Pon-chan in this story around 12, since he is a puppy during current day AASide. 
> 
> And if you guys are wondering where Nyankotarou is, she actually passed away of old age since this series is 12-13 years in the future, and she was already in her teens if Nayuta had her as a kid.


	3. It's a Tough Choice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Akira injures himself trying to break Yuuto's guitar, but Yuuto refuses to reprimand him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More Yuuwata and kid! I have a lot of ideas for these three, especially with KureKai_King's Yuuwata marriage fics being so inspirational!

"Are you sure it'll be fine bringing it home?" Wataru asked, worrying as usual. 

"It'll be fine!" Yuuto grinned at his husband, adjusting the guitar case strap over his shoulder. "I don't mind it at all!" 

With a holiday falling in the middle, Argonavis had found themselves with a long weekend, which meant time for themselves, and more importantly, time for their families. Ren had been ecstatic about getting three whole days for herself and her daughter (Nayuta had been convinced to take the weekend off but refused to compromise on more.) Wataru himself had been looking quite forward to having three days for himself and his family. 

However, all plans he'd been making had been dashed when Yuuto insisted on bringing his beloved Gibson guitar home instead of leaving it in the studio like he did. 

"I still don't see why you need to bring it home," Wataru shook his head. "It's rare time off, and I thought you'd want to spend it with Akira." 

"I do, I do!" Yuuto informed him. "But I also want to get some practice in! I can't let myself get lazy!" 

"Taking a well-deserved break is not letting yourself be lazy," Wataru gently pointed out. "Why do you need to bring your electric guitar home? You have an acoustic one, don't you?" 

"Yeah, but it isn't the same!"

"I'm also worried because that guitar is expensive, and we have a child with us." 

"Oh," Yuuto's eyes widened a bit. "No worries! I'll take good care of it like always!" 

Wataru wanted to argue, but knew that his husband was hot-headed enough that nothing he said was going to make any difference. So the bassist simply sighed, shook his head and complied. 

Upon reaching home, the two were greeted by an excited child throwing himself at them. "Papa!" 

Wataru chuckled as the toddler hugged him. "Hey there, Akira." He bent down so that he was more eye level with the boy. "I've got good news for you. The two of us have three whole days off, so we have more time to play!" 

The black haired child was absolutely elated at the prospect of spending three whole days with his fathers, when he noticed the black case Yuuto was carrying. "Yu-kun, what that?" he asked as Wataru lifted him up into his arms. 

Yuuto turned to the young boy. "This?" he asked. "This is my precious guitar!" 

"Guitar?" Akira tilted his head. The only guitar he'd seen up till that point was the acoustic guitar that sat in the study. 

"Not that one," Yuuto chuckled. "This is the one I perform with!" 

"Perform?" Akira asked once more. 

"Like in the videos, Akira," Wataru gently told him. "It's the guitar he uses in the videos we show you." 

"Oh!" the boy's blue eyes shined like the ocean. 

Since they couldn't bring the young child to performances yet, the two fathers had been showing him videos of their shows when at home. While he wasn't old enough to appreciate or enjoy the music, he still loved picking his dads and the rest of the band out. 

"Can I play?" Akira asked. 

Yuuto turned to him. "Sorry, Akira, but not with this one," he told the boy. "Wataru, can you watch him for a bit? I'll go drop it off in the study." 

"Sure," Wataru nodded, turning to the boy, who looked confused at being refused. "Cheer up, Akira. How about the two of us go and see what's on TV?" 

"Yu-kun not coming?" Akira asked. 

"Heh, he's just gone to put away the guitar," Wataru told him. "Your father will be here soon." 

Unfortunately for Wataru, Yuuto didn't show up for the next two hours, after which it was dinner time. And it was all the red haired man could do to distract the young boy from lingering on his other father's absence. 

Wataru took a deep breath. "Eat your dinner, Akira," he told the child. "I'll go fetch your father." 

Akira nodded, digging into the food as Wataru pushed away from the table, almost stomping towards the study, his pace increasing as the muffled sound of guitar playing made its way to his ears. 

He slammed the door open to see Yuuto having plugged his guitar into the amp, intensely playing. "Yu!" 

Yuuto looked up, hearing Wataru's annoyed voice. "Huh? Did something happen?" 

Wataru clicked his tongue. "You've been playing for two hours," he said. "It's dinnertime."

"Oh, great!" Yuuto exclaimed, placing the guitar onto the stand. "I'm starving!" 

He stood up and quickly pushed past Wataru to get to the dining table, talking about how hungry he was and asking what was for dinner. Wataru wanted to stop him and ask him what he'd been doing all this time, but decided to let it go. 

Hopefully he'd gotten it out of his system. They still had three more days.

* * *

Wataru's hopes were dashed as Yuuto returned straight to the study upon waking up and didn't remerge till lunch. 

The entire time, Wataru stayed with his son, keeping him occupied with all sorts of games and toys. However, unlike the previous night, the boy felt Yuuto's absence, and was noticeably down about it. 

Wataru sighed. It was time he went and confronted Yuuto about this properly. 

He pushed open the door to the study. "Yu, we need to talk." 

Yuuto looked up, pausing mid-strum. "Uh, sure." He placed the guitar back on the stand, still plugged into the amp. 

Wataru dragged Yuuto outside for a moment so they could talk in peace without the temptation to play, since knowing Yuuto, he'd worm his way into talking while playing, and then they'd never talk again. However, while they were gone, the small child poked his head into the study, stepping inside. 

Akira walked over to the massive blue electric guitar, seemingly towering over the small child. He stared at it for a few moments, recalling that his father had been playing it for years, and that he'd also been playing it the whole time it entered their home. 

After he had promised to play with him too. 

Outside, Wataru had been trying and failing to get Yuuto to understand that his son missed him deeply and that practice could wait, when a loud crash from the study echoed through the house. The two immediately ran back, bursting into the room to see Akira on the ground, holding his hands as Yuuto's guitar lay on the ground beside him. 

"Akira!" the two yelled, running to his side. 

"Akira, what happened?" Wataru asked. 

The child had tears streaming down his face as he held his fingers, and Wataru then noticed the light trail of red and the few drops on the ground. "Let me see," he gently urged. 

As Wataru inspected the child's hands, Yuuto stepped to the side, picking the fallen guitar up and turning it over, looking for cracks or breaks. 

"How's the guitar?" Wataru asked. 

Yuuto hummed. "The guitar's fine," he grinned. "This baby's been through much more anyway." The smile then fell from his face as he turned to his husband. "More importantly, how's Akira?" 

"It's a scratch," Wataru said, wiping the boy's fingers with a damp cloth. "It looks worse than it is." 

Yuuto breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank God he wasn't seriously hurt." He placed the guitar back on its stand before heading over to sit by his family. "What happened though?" 

Wataru looked at the two cuts running down the child's fingers. "It looks like the strings cut him," he surmised. It was still surprising to him, but once he thought about it, the toddler's supple and sensitive skin would be easy to cut, as compared to his father's calloused fingers built up over fifteen years.

Yuuto narrowed his eyes. "How did that happen?" 

Wataru looked back at the boy who was wiping his eyes with his other hand. "Akira, how did this happen?" he gently asked. When the boy turned away though, the redhead paused for a moment. "Don't tell me...did you try to throw the guitar down?" 

Akira looked away, still not meeting his father's eyes, however his silence was enough confirmation for Wataru. "Akira..." he said sternly. "Why did you do that?" 

The child shook his head, still not looking directly at him. "You know that was wrong, don't you?" Wataru continued. "So why did you do it?" 

Akira continued to turn away, attempting to pull his hand away from Wataru, however, the adult had a firm grip as he continued to treat the injury. Wataru turned to Yuuto. 

"Yu! Say something!" 

The other father had been kneeling down next to the child, watching his fingers be bandaged up with a concerned look. Upon his husband's voice calling out his name, his neck snapped up, seeing Wataru looking at him expectantly, hoping he'd back him up.

"Uh..." Yuuto said, sheepishly rubbing the back of his head and grinning. "Well, at least no one got seriously hurt, so all's well that ends well." 

Wataru seemed to be in shock. "Yu..." 

He looked like he wanted to confront his husband, but the injured child came first. However, once the child was fully bandaged up and sitting in the living room with a cup of juice, Wataru sought Yuuto out. 

"Yu, what the hell was that?" 

Yuuto blinked in surprise. "What was what?" 

"Don't play dumb with me," Wataru reprimanded. "I was expecting you to have my back there!" 

"I _do_ have your back!" Yuuto told him, reaching out to hold his hand, surprised when Wataru simply folded his arms across his chest instead. 

Oh, he was really mad, wasn't he? 

"It certainly didn't look like that back there," Wataru told him with narrowed eyes. "You just let him off for intentionally trying to break your guitar." 

"What was I supposed to say?" 

"Maybe tell him that what he did was wrong?" Wataru suggested. "I don't know, Yu, but it looks to me like you just don't want to have to scold him." 

"I don't want to scold him." 

Wataru stayed silent as Yuuto sighed, turning away for a moment. "My father was immensely strict while I was growing up," he explained. "I don't want to be a strict parent." 

"But that's no excuse to run away," Wataru pointed out. 

Yuuto looked down as Wataru sighed. "Yu, the boy needs to know what's right and wrong," he explained gently. "If we don't tell him, he'll do it again, and maybe next time he'll end up injured even further or he'll actually break the guitar." 

" _You_ can talk to him then. You're good at it anyway." 

"What are you afraid of?" 

"I'm afraid he'll hate me if I scold him!" 

"He won't! If that's all it takes for a child to hate their parent then the world would be full of children who hate their parents." 

Yuuto raised an eyebrow at Wataru and the latter thought about it for a moment. "Yeah, no, scratch that," he shook his head. "But the point I was trying to make is that you can't just run away from this or refuse to parent. That's just as bad as being overly strict!" 

Yuuuto clicked this tongue, turning away from him. "Just...can we not talk about this right now?" Without waiting for his reply, he left the hallway and returned to where his son was sitting, probably to spoil him a bit more, leaving Wataru behind to grunt in frustration.

* * *

"Discipline?" Ren blinked, lowering the leaves of sheet music in her hand. 

Wataru nodded, running his thumb along the rim of his glass of juice. "I was wondering how you guys handled things like that." 

Yuuto had refused to relent and speak to his son, leaving Wataru more pissed off than usual, enough that when Yuuto tried to initiate contact later, Wataru rejected him and simply turned away from him to sleep. On waking up and finding that the situation hadn't resolved itself and that Yuuto was being as stubborn as ever, Wataru decided to use the opportunity to go over to those more experienced than him. 

Hence, he went over to Ren's place when the kids would be taking their afternoon nap to drop off the sheet music for their new song as well as Rio's demo, and have a talk as well. 

Ren pursed her lips. "You mean like...when Yukina breaks stuff?" she asked. "She has broken things before, I won't deny." 

"She has?" Wataru asked. "When?" 

"Well, she did break the Star Five charm Nayuta got me the second year we were together," Ren recalled. "And she did break the china vase my parents gifted me on my wedding day." She sighed heavily. "That one was a family heirloom too..." 

Wataru resisted the urge to lean over and comfort her since she looked so disturbed at the thought of losing such an important object. "So even you guys deal with things like this, huh?" he asked, sipping his juice. 

Ren nodded. "It happens, because they're little kids. Of course they'll break things because they don't know." 

"I suppose she stays away from Nayuta's stuff though," Wataru sighed. "It must be easy for him to handle the discipline, huh?" 

Ren shooo her head. "Nayuta actually can't bring himself to scold her," she said. "And Yukina has scribbled on his lyrics before. There was one time she randomly pressed buttons on his laptop and added weird stuff to the song he was working on." 

"Wow," Wataru's eyes were wide. "He must really love her to not say anything even after his precious music is hurt. I know if any of us were to do that he'd send us straight to our graves." 

Ren nodded. "He really does, and she adores him too," she said. "It helps that she hates seeing him disappointed, so all he has to do is stand there and say 'I'm disappointed.'" Ren sat back against the couch and crossed her arms over her chest, imitating her husband's gruff voice. "He does that and she apologizes in no time." 

"It's that easy, huh?" Wataru sighed. 

Ren placed the sheet music next to her, placing the CD containing Rio's instrumental demo on top of it. "Well, it isn't entirely," she admitted. "But we put up with it because they're little kids, and they'll always break things. Generally they don't mean it, so telling them what they did wrong has worked for us so far." 

"But if they meant it?" 

"What do you mean?" 

Wataru leaned forward a bit, staring at his glass for a bit. "Has...Yukina ever acted out before?" he asked. 

Ren gave a small sigh. "Of course she has," she smiled softly. "It's rare though, but she does act out at times." She furrowed her brows. "But she's only ever acted out when she misses us or is especially lonely." 

"Lonely?" Wataru echoed. 

Ren nodded. "A couple of months ago, Nayuta had a bad concert." 

"So a perfect one," Wataru murmured. 

"Essentially," Ren agreed. "But he hadn't been satisfied with his performance, so he had ignored Yukina and just locked himself in the study. He'd promised her he'd take her for ice cream, so when she was ignored, she hid his earphones." She sucked in a small breath at the memory. "He was _quite_ pissed..." 

"What did you guys do then?" 

Ren scrunched her nose. "Well, I think we just let it go," she said. "I mean, we did talk to her and tell her it was wrong, and she got her tablet taken away for a day, but at the end it was just because she wanted us." 

"Is that so...?" 

Ren nodded, giving a small chuckle. "At the end of the day, they're at this weird age where they're completely honest with their emotions, but still not knowledgeable enough to say things like _'I'm lonely'_ or _'I miss you. Please spend time with me.'_ " As her gaze fell to the ground, Wataru noticed that even recounting the not-so fun moments made her smile. "It's up to us as adults to understand that, isn't it? Because we're their parents, and if we don't understand them, then who will?" 

Wataru smiled softly. "That is true..." he sighed. "Thanks, Ren, for hearing me out." 

"No worries!" she happily grinned. "We're friends after all!" 

* * *

Wataru returned to find that Akira was still asleep, but Yuuto was currently on the couch watching TV. When he walked through the door, Yuuto shot up to his feet, rushing to greet him. 

"Wataru! I know you're still mad at me, but I was thinking for a while-"

"Yu, I'm not mad." 

Yuuto paused in his tracks, looking at his husband in surprise. "Y-you're not?" Another thought then struck him. "Wait, did you go somewhere?" 

Wataru nodded. "I went over to Ren's to drop off the music for the new song," he informed. "We had a talk." 

"Oh, you did?" Yuuto raised his eyebrows. "What did you guys talk about?" 

Wataru grinned. "We had a chat about parenting," he chuckled. "After all, I can't really talk to Kikyo or Banri-kun about this." 

Yuuto waited for Wataru to take a deep breath. "I figured out why Akira tried to break your guitar yesterday," the shorter man informed. 

"You did?" Now Yuuto was interested.

"He was lonely. We promised him three days of fun, but the second you brought it home you played it constantly and ignored him." Wataru paused for a moment to guage his partner's reaction before continuing when he saw that Yuuto was attentively listening. "He missed you, and he probably blamed the guitar for taking his father away from him." 

Yuuto sighed heavily. "It's my fault then that he got injured..." he trailed off. He then looked up. "But what should I do?" 

"You know what you need to do." 

Upon Yuuto's freeze, Wataru sighed once more. "I understand your fears, Yu," he said. "All too well, to be honest. You're scared of messing up with Akira, aren't you?" 

Yuuto turned his head so he was looking at the wall and not actually at Wataru. "I...I haven't exactly been secretive about it," he admitted, exhaling. "I just... don't want him to stop thinking of me as a friend." 

"But you're _not_ his friend, you're his _father_ ," Wataru gently pointed out. "He depends on you to guide him through life. We're the only ones who can do that." 

"But..." 

"He won't hate you for telling him what he did wrong," Wataru told him, reaching out and holding his upper arm, his gaze soft and loving. "Trust me on this." 

Yuuto thought for a moment before nodding. "Of course," he said in a low voice, his other hand reaching up to cup Wataru's hand. "I trust you with my life." 

Akira would wake up from his nap in another hour, after which he would find Yuuto in the living room. While his first instinct was to run to his father, he seemed surprised when Yuuto picked him up and sat him on the couch, getting down to his knees so the tall man was eye level with the toddler. 

"Akira, we need to talk." 

The child's smile fell from his face when he saw the stern look in his father's eyes, a look he'd never seen before. 

"Yesterday, you tried to break my guitar, didn't you?" Yuuto asked. "Well, that guitar is incredibly precious to me. It's been with me through a lot of my life, so having it break would really hurt me." He reached his hand out, placing it on the boy's head, his fingers getting lost in the black waves. "But what would hurt me even more was you getting seriously hurt. You were lucky, but it's a heavy instrument, and if something happened to you, I would never forgive myself." He then sighed. "But I suppose it is my fault too." 

The child looked at him, blinking in confusion. "I'm sorry, Akira, for ignoring you to practice," Yuuto said. "That was why you tried to break my guitar, right? Because you were angry I wasn't spending time with you?" 

Akira bit his lip but nodded, and Yuuto gave a small laugh. "Thought so," he grinned. "Guess I'll have to make up for it then. How about we lock the study up till Monday morning and the three of us go to the park to play?" 

The child's lip trembled as tears pooled in his eyes. Upon the gentle gaze Yuuto was now giving him, contrasting his stern appearance just moments prior, he broke down and flung his arms around the adult's neck. 

"Papa..." Akira wailed. "I'm sorry..."

Yuuto had stilled for a moment at the child's sudden action, but then relaxed. He let a smile tug at his lips as he wrapped his arms around Akira's small frame, gently stroking his back. Relief flooded the guitarist as the child continued to cry into him, his worst fears being false. 

He raised his eyes and caught teal in the doorway, and Wataru smiled at him. 

_Parenting is hard, isn't it, Yu?_ he thought. _But it's all worth it in the end._

He recalled a year or so ago when Ren was struggling with an incredibly small child. Wataru had been seriously confused at how she could put up with everything and still have a smile on her face. Her reply had since cemented itself in his head. 

_Because we're a family._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just so you guys know, I do also accept prompts and ideas! If you guys have any particular scenarios in mind you'd like me to write about, do leave a comment!
> 
> Also thanks for everyone who continues to read this long long drawn out series!


	4. No Matter How Far

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's Tanabata, and with Nayuta away on tour, Yukina begins to miss her father.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Idk what I wrote tbh. I just came across the idea of this festival in Gakuen Babysitters manga and Love So Life manga, and I wanted to write a small thing on it. 
> 
> If you guys are unaware, the festival is about the once a year meeting of two Japanese deities, although the custom exists in China too. A way to celebrate is to write wishes on a piece of paper and put it up on a Wish Tree, and it's said your wishes come true then.

Ren had just managed to bring out the crayons for her daughter when her phone rang, and the speed with which she dashed to answer was frankly embarassing, if she wasn't so excited. "Nayuta-kun?" 

"You're still awake?" her husband's voice sounded from the other end of the line. 

"Yeah, it's still not time yet for her nap," Ren said, turning as her daughter looked up at the mention of her father's name. "What about you? Don't you have practice?" 

"We're taking a break," was Nayuta's only response, and judging by the way he sounded annoyed, she guessed he was more than likely still stuck in the practice room and the other four members of his band were most likely listening in. "How's Hakodate?" 

Argonavis had taken advantage of some time off during the summer to take their kids and make a quick trip back to Hakodate to visit their parents. With Gyroaxia being on a national tour, this had put the entirety of Japan between them, but Ren took the opportunity of visiting her parents as well as going to all their old places to help distract the child from her father's absence. Her parents had gushed over their granddaughter as always, spoiling her rotten. And with everyone together and doing things, Yukina hadn't felt so lonely. 

Ren nodded. "Hakodate's great!" she grinned, sitting back in her chair. "It's quite nostalgic coming back here after all these years, you know. We went to see our old studio but it was torn down, sadly." 

"I see," Nayuta said. "I'm sorry to hear that." 

"A lot has changed here," Ren sighed. "I feel like I'm coming back for the first time all over again." It was untrue, of course, since not only had the band made frequent yearly trips back to their hometown even after moving to Tokyo, but she and Nayuta had trips back when they were engaged. However, they hadn't been able to return since Yukina was born, so this trip was still quite special for her. 

Speaking of her daughter... 

"Do you want to speak to Papa?" Ren asked, offering the child the phone. 

Yukina shook her head. "Before bed," she insisted, and Ren laughed. Her daughter could be quite stubborn, especially when it came to keeping promises with her father that they'd talk every night before she slept. 

With Yukina occupied, Ren pulled the phone back to her ear. "What are you doing now?" Nayuta asked. 

"Resting for now," Ren replied. "Later in the evening we were planning on taking the kids to Banri's family farm." 

"Why the hell a farm?" 

"Banri insisted!" 

"Tch." 

"Oh, and today is Tanabata, so the guys and I are planning on having a Wish tree for the kids!" Ren said excitedly. "Master wants to put it up at Submariner so we'll all be going there later." 

Nayuta stayed silent for a moment as Ren spoke of their plans for the next day. "Wish tree, huh?" he asked. He adjusted his position on the couch in their practice studio and was greeted with the sight of Reon, holding up three fingers and mouthing to him that rehearsal for their show didn't start till 3 pm. "I have some time tomorrow, so let me know what her wish is. I'll buy it for her." 

"Sure!" She put the phone down, covering the mic. "Hear that, Yukina? Papa says you can wish for anything, and he'll buy it for you!" 

"Nayuta." The vocalist raised his head to see Kenta beckoning him over, signalling that the break was over. "I have to go. Call before she sleeps," he said into the phone before hanging up and pulling himself off the couch. 

Ren placed her phone down next to her as she turned to her daughter. "Do you want to think of your wish?" she gently asked. "Then when we go to Submariner we can put it up on the Tree quickly!" 

Yukina however stared at the phone for a bit and turned back to Ren. "What's wrong?" she asked, noticing how her daughter seemed to be a bit sadder. 

"Tanabata..." the child said softly. "They don't be together..." 

"Oh, are you talking about the story?" Ren distinctly remembered Wataru telling the two kids the story of the Star Festival, about how the milky way kept apart two star-crossed lovers and how one day a year, they were allowed to meet. 

The child nodded. "Papa...not here..." 

_Oh..._

Ren placed her hand on her daughter's head. "Are you missing your father?" she asked. 

Yukina nodded slightly, a soft flush on her cheeks. "Orihime-sama an' Hikoboshi-sama together today, but Papa not with Mama..." 

Ren smiled, laughing gently. "That's because Papa's working hard every day chasing his dream!" she said enthusiastically. "He'll be back home soon, and we'll be meeting him when we go back to Tokyo in two days!" 

Yukina shook her head. "Why Papa not here today?" she insisted. 

Ren sighed as she finally made sense of it in her head. "Are you feeling emotional because today is the day two lovers meet but your father isn't here?" she guessed. At her daughter's nod, she grinned. "That's so cute!" 

Yukina looked up at her, her violet eyes determined. "That my wish!" she exclaimed. 

"What is?" Ren asked. 

"Papa and Mama meet too!" 

Ren stifled herself from bursting into laughter. Sometimes her daughter was just too cute with how much she wanted to see her parents together all the time. 

"You don't have to worry about Papa and me," Ren told her. "Yes, because Papa works so hard, he doesn't always get to be at my side, and the same can be said about my work." She chuckled softly. "But don't worry, because even when we're apart, we still have a connection that binds us together." 

"Co-nnec-tion?" the child asked, testing the word out. 

Ren nodded. "It means that no matter how far apart we are, we'll always come back to each other." 

"No matter how far?" Yukina asked. 

"No matter how far," Ren replied, stroking her daughter's hair. "So don't worry about your wish, and just wish for anything that you want." 

_Because that wish has already been granted_ , Ren thought as her gaze fell to her wedding band hugging her finger. 

She recalled when Argonavis came to Hokkaido on a tour back in their early years, and there had been a massive Wish Tree in the middle of the city. She and Nayuta had only just begun dating at that point, and when the five members decided to write wishes and put them up on the Tree, she had written down her wish of wanting to be connected to Nayuta, no matter what. 

She grinned at the memory. Others began to run through her mind, those of their first meeting, their first time singing together, moments they spent together that had only amplified this connection that could only have been created by fate.

While they'd been going around the city to visit all their old haunts the day before and had found their old studio had been demolished, the five of them had also stopped by another particular live house. Ren had been thankful that even after so many years, the live house was still active, hosting a new generation of talented musicians. 

_Hey, Nayuta-kun,_ she thought to herself as her daughter resumed her activity. _When Yukina is a bit older, I want to bring her here again, and show her the place we first met._

* * *

Nayuta took a deep breath, feeling very conscious of Kenta sleeping on the bed next to his. This arrangement had been due to the fact that whenever the group toured, none of the others were willing to put up with Nayuta, other than Kenta, of course. Hence, Kenta and Nayuta always grabbed the larger room, and Reon, Miyuki and Ryo always shared the other one. 

As he turned on his side, his gaze fell to the window and to the night sky outside. The constellation of stars seemed to shine brighter tonight, almost as if the heavens knew that today was a special day and were celebrating the reunion of lovers torn apart. 

_Lovers torn apart, huh..._

He sighed softly, raising his hand in front of him, his eyes glossing over the naked fingers until they fell on the white gold wedding band. A small smile made its way to his lips as he recalled when he and Ren had gone to the jewellers to put in the order for the white gold bands. The jeweller had told them that they could get anything engraved on it if they wanted to, and that most couples engraved their wedding date on the rings. 

However, Ren had turned to him with a look in her amethyst eyes, and he knew just what to get engraved; the day they first met. 

He still remembered it perfectly, especially his first words to her. _Someone with that level of singing can be found anywhere._

It took a long while for him to accept that he'd been lashing out at her, since he'd been telling himself for a while that he hadn't reached his limit, yet the moment he heard her voice, it had blown him away. Her voice had washed over him, shaking him up to the core. And when the two had sung together during the battle of the bands, he knew then that he shared something with this girl. 

In this universe, their connection had manifested in love. 

His eyes fell on the sky once more, and he sighed. At times, he really felt like he could relate to the deities of the festival. 

With Gyroaxia being so popular, it came hand in hand with them going on frequent tours. Of course, Ren knew that, since Argonavis toured frequently too, and it was helpful that his partner knew and supported the lifestyle. 

However, now that they had a child, a part of him worried, although he'd never show it. 

His trauma from the past still lingered, no matter how many times Ren told him that he wasn't his father, no matter how many times Kenta informed him that just the fact that he was there made him different to the one who had instilled such anger in his heart. He worried that no matter how much he tried to make memories with Yukina while they were together, that he was leaving her lonely. 

The thought that one day it was possible she could turn on him, tell him that since he'd left her alone so long, that she didn't care for him anymore, hurt his heart. 

At that moment, he could almost hear Kenta's voice in his head, telling him that those worries were what made him different, and would make him a good father. 

He'd been spending too much time with that goddamn redhead. 

He turned over in the bed, with his back to the window, silently clenching his fist. After all, Ren had called him before Yukina went to bed, telling him that she had asked for a specific stuffed toy, and he hadn't spared a moment asking Kenta to find out where it was sold. In a way, it was good that his band never teased him much about how much of a doting father he was under all the unpleasantness, even though compared to his 18 year old self, the current Nayuta was a joy to be around. 

Miyuki had commented that the toy was quite popular with kids, and Reon had grinned at that. Ryo had offered to go and buy it so he could bring happiness to the child, but Nayuta had glared him down, since it was a request his daughter made _him_. 

Two more days...and then he'd be reunited with his family.

Until then, Nayuta had no qualms about putting on a show so powerful it would blow the audience away. That was his resolve, of course. 

And not to mention, he'd promised Yukina he'd work hard before he left. They'd even pinky swore. 

Who was he to not keep his word?

* * *

Nayuta and Kenta stood in the toy store, staring up at an entire wall chock full of the same stuffed toy, but somehow extremely different. The sight was overwhelming enough to make even Kenta stagger slightly. 

"That is...quite intimidating..." 

Nayuta was already in the middle of dialling his phone.

"Oi, Ren! There's too many of these things here! Which one am I supposed to get?!"


	5. First Errand

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yukina and Akira try out their first errand while Yuuto and Nayuta, worried sick, tail them secretly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First errand chapter! I've had this idea in my head for a bit now and wanted to write it!

Wataru opened the fridge, perusing the contents before turning around. "Hey, Ren? You're out of milk!" 

The vocalist in question looked up from her position on the couch. "Oh, am I? Sorry, I didn't notice." 

There were times when writing sessions wouldn't go so well in the practice studio or at the company, hence it would often be moved to either of the two families' homes, since they were larger than Banri and Rio's apartments. Today was one of those days, and Ren's home had been chosen, giving Yuuto and Wataru the opportunity to bring Akira over as well so he could play with his best friend. 

Currently, the two kids were on the floor, playing with a box of bricks owned by Yukina as Rio and Wataru sat at the table, sheet music and papers strewn all over as they attempted to brainstorm lyrics for Rio's newest composition. Banri had stopped by with a box of strawberries he'd gotten as a gift from his siblings the last time they had visited, and hence Wataru had left his post and wandered to the kitchen in hopes of getting some coffee for himself and his friends, and also preparing some milkshakes for the kids with the fresh strawberries Banri had brought over. 

Wataru nodded grimly. "I can't make the milkshakes if there's no milk," he said. "And I'm not sure how long the strawberries will last." 

"That's right!" Banri piped up from the ground where he was playing with the two toddlers. "They'll need to be eaten as soon as possible!" 

Ren got up from the couch and went over to where Wataru was standing to take another look at the fridge. "Ah, we're really out," she commented. "I'll tell Nayuta-kun to bring some tomorrow." She turned around to where the two had abandoned their toys when Ren had left and were now standing near the kitchen door, watching as all they could hear was 'milk.' "But what do we do about them?" 

Wataru sighed softly. "Can't be helped then," he said. "I suppose I'll just cut the strawberries up for them." 

"Uncle Wataru!" 

The bassist and vocalist turned around to find their daughter and son staring up at them with shining eyes. Upon getting their attention, Yukina held up her hands. "We bring!" she exclaimed. 

Akira nodded at her side. "Bring!" he reiterated. 

Ren blinked. "Do...you two want to go and get the milk by yourselves?" she asked. 

The two kids nodded, jumping up and repeating their chants that they wanted to go and buy. 

Banri chuckled, propping his head up on his palm. "Oho~" he grinned. "Their first errand, huh?" 

"But aren't they too young?" Wataru worried.

"Not really," Banri held a thumbs up. "I think my siblings were as old as them when they ran their first errands!" 

From the table, Rio smiled softly. "Besides, if they do want to do this, why not let them?" he asked. "It'll be a good experience for them to learn to work together." 

Ren turned to Wataru, and the two shared a look. "Should we?" he asked. 

Ren thought about it for a moment. "There's a convenience store nearby and it's very easy to get to," she said. "One item shouldn't be too much for them to carry, right?" 

"They _have_ seen us do it multiple times too," Wataru continued to reason. "So they should also know what to say and how to ask too. Although we can tell them, of course." 

"So...should we?" 

Wataru considered it for a second before nodding. "I don't see why not," he grinned, and the lit up faces of the children were entirely worth it. 

In the next ten minutes, the two had their shoes on and were ready to go, with Yukina carrying a small sling bag over her shoulder. 

Ren stood up, admiring her handiwork. "So, Yukina has the money, right?" she asked. "The convenience store is a straight walk from here. You two know what to ask for, don't you?" 

The two raised their hands up. "Milk, please!" they sang in unison. 

Rio laughed behind them. "They'll be just fine." 

Wataru took a deep breath. "Alright, you two," he told them. "Be careful, and Akira, don't leave Yukina's hand, alright?" 

"Un!" the boy nodded, slipping his hand into the other child's, gripping it tightly. 

"I take care!" Yukina told Wataru confidently, and the adult grinned. 

"Well, off you go!" 

Ren and Wataru waved them off at the door, watching until they made the turn at the entrance and began walking. Once they were out of sight, the two moved away from the door to return to their precious tasks, with Ren helping Banri clean up the toys strewn all over the floor and Wataru preparing some coffee. 

At that moment, Yuuto walked through the door, followed closely by Nayuta. "Yo!" the brunet greeted them. "Sorry it took so long!" 

"Hey," Wataru greeted him. "You sure took a while." He then noticed that Yuuto wasn't empty-handed. "Oh, you brought something?" 

Yuuto nodded, gesturing to the box he was carrying. "My call ran longer than I was hoping, but I stopped by home to pick up some of Akira's toys." He adjusted the box a bit in his hands. "Thought the kids would like a bit more variety." He gestured behind him. "And I ran into this guy at the entrance." 

"Oh, Nayuta-kun!" Ren went over to greet her husband with a quick kiss. "You're home early." 

Nayuta nodded. "The meeting ended," he said simply. "Satozuka is handling the rest." He then seemed to notice there was an absence of kids running up to greet them. "Where are the kids?" 

Banri chuckled. "Those two are running their first errand!" he announced. 

While he'd hoped the news would have interested the two fathers, instead what he was faced with was Yuuto and Nayuta freezing, the box of toys slipping from Yuuto's fingers and dropping to the floor, bricks scattering all over. 

"WHAT?" 

"Yu, you're too loud." 

"Are you being serious?" Nayuta asked Ren. 

Ren blinked in confusion. "Why would I joke about that?" she asked. "And besides, why are you so worked up?" 

"Because they're kids!" Nayuta yelled. "They're too young for this!" 

"Not really," Rio spoke up from behind them. "For a small errand, they're at the perfect age." 

"I don't recall asking for your opinion," Nayuta growled at him over Ren's shoulder. 

Yuuto grabbed Wataru's shoulders. "Wataru, are you really okay with this?" he asked, his voice an octave higher in panic. "Letting our kids go by themselves?" 

Wataru frowned softly. "Yukina's not ours, though," he pointed out. 

"We raised her since she was born and you're her godfather," Yuuto said matter-of-factedly. "She's ours too," he declared as if he had won the debate. 

"You're overreacting," Wataru sighed. 

"Are you seriously alright with this?" Yuuto repeated. "You? Of all people?" 

"Yu, calm down," Wataru gently said. "They just went to the convenience store." 

"That's two blocks away," Nayuta realized, already halfway to the door. 

"Great," Yuuto said, abandoning his husband to follow the silver haired vocalist. "Perhaps we can still catch up to them." 

"Oi, wait!" 

The two men paused in the middle of getting their shoes on. "Are you trying to stop us?" Nayuta asked, fixing Wataru with a glare. However, after knowing him for so long, Wataru was unperturbed by Nayuta's classic glare. 

"If you two try to stop them, it'll make the experience all for nothing," he told them. "You can tail them, but you have to let them do this on their own." 

Nayuta turned his head slightly to the side, where Ren had come to stand at Wataru's side. "Ren...?" 

To his dismay, his wife nodded. "This is important for them, Nayuta-kun," she said. "So promise me you won't stop them?" 

With the look she was giving him, he couldn't help but sigh. " _Fine.._." 

* * *

The two toddlers walked on, stopping every couple of feet to look and coo at the flowers and butterflies on the side of the road. 

Behind them, Nayuta sat on a bench. Since his white hair would have attracted too much attention, he'd been forced to borrow Yuuto's hat so that he wouldn't be recognisable. Yuuto's brown hair was more common in these parts, so he was able to get away with a mask and sunglasses. 

Nayuta pulled the hat over his eyes a bit more, taking attention away from his hair. "They're getting distracted," he spoke into the phone at his ear. "But it seems they're still going towards their goal." 

Yuuto heaved a sigh of relief from where he hid behind a telephone pole. "At least they won't get lost then." He watched as the two took another few steps before getting distracted by a pretty pink flower growing in someone's yard. "But they sure don't look like they'll be there any time soon." 

Nayuta clicked his tongue. "Wish they'd just get it over with," he grumbled. "I look stupid in this dumb hat." 

"You don't get to criticize the hat!" Yuuto exclaimed in his ear. "Only my husband can!" 

"Doesn't criticize it enough by the looks of it," Nayuta retorted. 

Before Yuuto could shoot back at him, he paused as the two kids got closer to him. "Alright, they're past the first block," he reported. 

"They should be able to see the convenience store from there," Nayuta replied. 

Just as the other had predicted, the distractions ceased as the convenience store came into view. Akira seemed to hesitate for a moment as the store came into view, since it looked much larger than it actually was from the ground, but Yukina simply gave his hand a squeeze amd the two were off once more. 

"Ugh, they're too cute," Yuuto grumbled into the phone. "I'm worried someone will kidnap them..." 

"Goryo, we were expressly told not to interfere," Nayuta reminded. 

Yuuto watched the two walk, and Yukina almost slip. However, Akira was quick to support her and help her steady herself before continuing once more. 

"Dammit, I wanna interfere!" he whined. 

"I don't want to hear your complaints!" Nayuta growled. "They're reaching the store." 

As the two came upon the store, the electronic sliding door slid open and they stepped inside. Yuuto let out a breath. "They're past the first hurdle," he said. 

Nayuta hummed. "This hat draws attention," he said. "You go in and keep an eye on them." 

"Got it." 

Yuuto slipped into the convenience store a bit after the two kids, electing to hide behind one of the shelves filled with snacks as they went up to the cashier. As the cashier cooed at the sight of two adorable children running an errand, Yuuto noticed Nayuta find another bench in direct sight of the convenience store, opening a newspaper to hide his face. 

"So how can I help you two adorable children?" the old lady at the cash register asked. 

Yukina turned to look at Akira, sharing a look with him. They then turned back and put their rehearsed phrase into practice. "One milk, please~" 

Yuuto could see the old lady almost die at the sight. "Oh, how cute!" she cooed. "Just wait a bit, I'll get your milk." 

"Okay!" Akira said as Yukina dug into her little bag, remembering the process her mother had taught her. 

Yuuto kept a careful watch on them from the corner of his eye as his phone suddenly vibrated in his pocket. _That guy again?_ he thought as he whipped it out to check it quickly. The last thing he wanted was to lose sight of the kids. 

However, the message made him balk as it wasn't from Nayuta, but rather Wataru. "Get soy sauce too," it read. "Rio's making stir fry." 

"That guy..." Yuuto muttered. 

He turned his attention back to the kids as the cashier got a carton of milk. "Here it is," she told the two. "Do you have money to pay for it?" 

Yukina nodded, brandishing a 500 yen coin. "Money!" she exclaimed. 

"Oh, so responsible!" the cashier chuckled, taking the money. She then put the carton in a plastic bag before handing it to them. "Here's your milk, my dears," she said. "And here's your change." She handed the little girl three more coins. 

"Thank you!" the two said with bright smiles as they carried the bag between them. 

"They passed the second hurdle," Yuuto spoke into the phone. 

"Good," Nayuta's voice said in his ear. "Now all that's left is to make sure they make it home in one piece." 

Yuuto hummed. "They're coming your way," he said as he made his way to the cashier, a bottle of soy sauce in his hand. 

After quickly thanking her and being beset with giggles about how cute his kids were, Yuuto defeatedly bought the soy sauce his husband requested from him. 

In the meantime, the two had exited the store, and Nayuta quickly slunk back a bit further behind his newspaper. "Alright, now just go back the way you came," he murmured to no one. 

However, almost right in front of him, two guys walked right by them, pushing the two kids slightly. This caused Yukina to stumble and fall to the ground, leaving Akira to place the bag on the floor to make sure it wouldn't break either. 

"Oh, sorry, kids, didn't notice ya there." 

Nayuta gritted his teeth, and it was all it took for him to not storm over and punch those guys in the face for making his daughter fall. 

Akira turned back to Yukina, who seemed relatively unhurt. "Yuki-chan okay?" he asked her. 

Tears immediately welled up in her eyes from the shock and she hiccuped slightly. Nayuta sighed. _Just as I thought,_ he thought. _It was too soon for them._

He prepared to get up and go comfort his daughter when he stopped, seeing Akira get to his knees in front of Yukina. 

"Papa, auntie Ren, everyone waiting," the boy told her gently. "They're waiting for us to bring milk." 

He then stood up, holding his hand out. "Let's go home," he said. 

Nayuta watched as his daughter who would normally burst into tears swallow and nod, quickly getting to her feet. "Go home," she repeated, taking the younger boy's hand in her own. The two then picked up the bag with the carton of milk and went back on their way. 

Nayuta forgot to move. 

_When did this happen? When did his daughter suddenly become so independent?_

He took off the hat as the two walked up to their home, setting it down beside him on the folded newspaper, pinching the bridge of his nose. He was so wrapped up in his own thoughts he didn't notice someone slide into the seat next to him. 

"It's...quite...moving, isn't it?" Yuuto hesitantly asked, grabbing the hat and putting it back on his own head where it belonged. His mask had been discarded and his sunglasses hung from the collar of his shirt. 

Nayuta bent over, staring at the ground. A part of him still had trouble believing that he was currently even considering speaking. "It feels like just yesterday she couldn't even walk..." he said softly. "When did this happen?" 

Yuuto gave a small laugh. "I suppose the biggest thing with kids is that they'll grow up too soon." His voice was heavy with sadness. "I don't want that to happen." 

Nayuta raised an eyebrow at him. "It's inevitable, isn't it?" 

"Yeah, but I'm scared when they grow up, this dream will come to an end." 

Yuuto leaned back on the bench, casting his eyes to the sky. A small, very small part of him was surprised that he was actually about to confide in Asahi Nayuta, of all people, his adversary for fifteen years. However, what surprised him even more was that Nayuta wasn't stopping him, actually looking like he was listening. 

"Adoption is...complicated," Yuuto admitted, running a hand through his brown locks. "No matter how much I want to, I can't change the fact that I'm not Akira's real father." He took a deep breath. "And Akira's a smart kid too, so he notices things. He notices that Yukina looks like Ren, that most of the kids at daycare resemble their parents, but that he doesn't look like us." He looked down, his gaze falling to the floor. "I've tried playing it off by saying we both have blue eyes, but he knows it's still a different shade. So I'm afraid that one day, he's gonna grow up and realize I'm not his real father." 

"That's bullshit and you know it." 

Nayuta's voice made Yuuto snap his head up, surprised that the other was actually serious about lending him an ear like this. The other was looking at him, his intense fiery eyes on him. 

"Blood means nothing unless the ones involved are willing to go the distance," Nayuta said. "You should know that better than anyone." 

Yuuto blinked, still surprised as Nayuta went on. "Yeah, he's gonna grow up. They both are." He looked quite distressed at the latter thought. "But tomorrow, what's going to matter isn't whether you look like each other or what color your eyes are. What will matter is that you're there for him." He paused for a moment to collect his thoughts. "As far as Akira is concerned, you and Matoba _are_ his real fathers." 

"Wow..." the words escaped Yuuto's mouth before he could stop himself. "That's the most fatherly thing you've ever said in your life." 

Nayuta turned away, clicking his tongue in annoyance. "Shut up," he grumbled. "They've gone in." 

Yuuto lifted his head to see the two kids disappear through the open door. "They passed the final hurdle..." he murmured, allowing a small smile to tug at his lips. "They actually did it." 

Nayuta sighed. He recalled back to over a year ago, when his manager had congratulated him on his daughter, and offered some advice, having a high school son and a 6 year old daughter himself. _Kids grow too fast, and before you know it, they don't need you anymore. So cherish each and every moment you spend with them._

* * *

Ren's head snapped up to the door as the two walked through it. "Wataru!" she called at once. "They're back!" 

The two kids smiled. "We're home!" they announced. 

"Oh, welcome back!" Wataru grinned. "How did your errand go?" 

Akira and Yukina shared a quick look between themselves before holding out the bag. "Milk!" Akira chirped happily. "We buy!" Yukina agreed. 

Ren clapped her hands. "That's wonderful!" she exclaimed. "You two are so brave!" 

She took the bag from them, handing it to Rio. After quickly congratulating the two kids, Rio disappeared into the kitchen to make the milkshakes. After all, they'd earned it. 

As Wataru and Ren pulled their children into a hug, Yuuto and Nayuta walked through the door. 

"Papa!" Yukina exclaimed upon seeing her father. "We ran errand today!" 

"Did you, now?" Nayuta asked after catching Ren's eye frantically telling him not to let her know they'd been following them the whole time. 

Yuuto grinned, pulling Akira and Wataru into a hug. "You've grown so much!" he yelped, trying to keep the tremble from his voice. "You're such a big boy running an errand all by yourself!" 

Akira laughed. "Akki-kun big boy!" he agreed. 

"Nayuta-kun." 

He turned back upon hearing Ren's voice. "Don't you have something to say?" she gently urged, eyes flitting to the young girl in her arms, looking expectantly at her father.

A million thoughts ran through his mind, mainly about how it was too soon for him to worry like this. However, he just reached his hand out and fluffed his daughter's curls a bit. 

"Good job," Nayuta gently praised, and her laugh was enough to drive all worrying thoughts away. 

Maybe he'd have to face them one day. But today? He was happy just enjoying the moment. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The only time Yuuto and Nayuta work well together is for their kids change my mind


	6. Candlelight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ren convinces Nayuta to sing his infant daughter to sleep, leading him to write her a song.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This little short story takes place in the past, when Yukina was six months old! I also wanted to tackle something that would definitely come up, that if Nayuta ever had a child, then she would have massive expectations resting on her shoulders.

"You should sing to her!" 

Nayuta turned around, his wife's words stopping him in the middle of gently patting his daughter. "Hah?" 

Ren nodded. "Tonight, you should be the one to sing her to sleep," she suggested. 

Nayuta raised an eyebrow. "Why me?" he asked. "Aren't you the one who genrally sings to her?" 

The small family was currently in their bedroom, with Nayuta carrying the baby. The two were quite thankful that as she had grown, she had gotten a bit more quieter and was generally more likely to sleep through the night, as a contrast to the first few months where she often woke up crying in the middle of the night. 

They had tons of help during the day, of course. With Yuuto and Wataru buying a house down the road from them, the bassist had been a frequent visitor, considering it his responsibility to help the first time parents out since he was the child's godfather. His husband often tagged along and the two were hence massive helps for Ren. Before she had resumed activities with Argonavis, Banri and Rio were often over to help in the mornings since they had more experience with childcare than Ren did. She had to admit, it was a lot easier to handle a newborn with her friends at her side. 

She had since gone back since the baby wasn't so reliant any more on her mother. But even then, Wataru was often at her side to assist her, especially when Nayuta was on tour, providing her much needed relief. Nayuta begrudgingly put up with the thought of another man holding his daughter, the fact that he was gay and hence not attracted to his wife the only thing that could satiate him. 

At the moment, Nayuta stood next to the crib set up next to their bed, gently rocking Yukina in his arms. The baby in question was dropping off to sleep, making small gurgles once in a while, eventually settling on sucking her thumb. Ren lay on her stomach behind him, chin propped up on elbows, a smile on her face as she watched him. 

She always enjoyed seeing sides of her husband others normally didn't see. She'd gotten to see many of them since they got to know each other, from the seemingly uncaring vocalist who would encourage her in his own way, to the devoted husband who expressed his love through his actions. And recently, the side that was a doting father, who despite his inexperience was trying to learn, always ready to take over and relieve Ren from her duties. 

Recently, Ren had been singing Yukina to sleep in the nights, and had over the past couple of weeks switched from random lullabies to singing old songs of Argonavis. She especially loved singing Ryuuseiu, and when he asked her why she chose to sing that, her answer had been that not only had it been arranged such that she could sing it softly, but that she had been reading about all the different combinations that could occur at conception. The thought that despite the millions of possibilities, it had been Yukina who had come to them, made Ren believe it was fate, a destined meeting.

She hummed softly. "I do, but I also think you should," she told him. "Yukina needs to know her father's voice too." 

He scoffed lightly. "My voice wouldn't suit it," he said simply. 

"I love Nayuta-kun's voice though," Ren replied, rolling onto the pillow and looking up at him. "I'm sure Yukina will love your voice too." 

"It would be too harsh," Nayuta continued to protest, lowering his voice as Yukina drifted off with her head propped up on his upper arm. 

"Well, you don't have to sing in your stage voice," Ren suggested. "Just sing normally!" 

"You want me to sing Manifesto or something to her?" he shot back. 

"Of course not!" Ren thought about it for a moment. "If you sang that to her, she'd be up all night!" 

"Then what am I supposed to sing?" he asked. "I don't know any lullabies." 

Ren softly chuckled, a part of her knowing she was fighting a losing battle. Not only did Nayuta not know any children's rhymes or lullabies, he actively refused to listen to them, calling the music simple and "not his style." She paused for a moment as Nayuta checked that she was fast asleep, placing her back in her crib before sitting back on the bed, letting out a small breath. After all, the young father had just returned from a week-long tour, and the first thing he had done was to ignore the advice to sleep, instead going over to play with his infant daughter, citing that he couldn't leave Ren to do all the work by herself. Although, at times like these, when it was calm, he had to admit seeing her face melted away all the exhaustion from the week. 

As Nayuta leaned back slightly on the bed, Ren reached over, wrapping her arms around his stomach and pressing her cheek to his back, closing her eyes as she relished in the touch of her husband. While Yukina had kept her company this week, not to mention the rest of her band, she missed Nayuta a lot. She hummed slightly as one of his hands left its post supporting him on the bed to lay over hers. 

"I play her your music, you know," Ren softly said. 

"You do?" Nayuta asked softly.

Ren nodded. "I know she misses you too, so whenever I can find them, I play her your performances." She grinned softly. "She reacts to it, you know? She watches you with undivided attention." 

"She does?" Nayuta asked. Ren took that opportunity to push away from him and readjust her position, allowing him to lean back so that he was resting on her lap. 

"Yeah," she said, running her fingers through his bangs. "So I'm sure that she'd love to hear you sing to her. You're her beloved Papa, after all." 

Nayuta sighed, still not used to hearing the words "father" and "Papa" used to address him. "You're quite insistent on this," he murmured, closing his eyes. 

Ren smiled. "I want to hear you sing to her too, to be honest," she sheepishly admitted.

He reached up with his hand to run the back of it against her cheek. With a baby, serene moments like these were rare, and he was going to enjoy it as much as possible. "You seem quite sure about it," he said softly. "Should I just sing anything to her? Even though she won't understand my music?" 

Rem laughed. "She's a baby, of course she won't understand music yet," she reasoned. "I doubt she understands whatever I sing yet. I think more than the music itself, it's being with us that makes her happy." 

Nayuta gave a heavy sigh. "If you say so," he said. He began to slowly pull her down for a kiss when suddenly the baby began fussing once more, causing Ren to quickly push him off her lap to go and attend to her. 

"Sorry, Nayuta-kun," she said sheepishly, rushing over to the crib. "Looks like I'll have to sing to you after all," she smiled wearily at Yukina.

Nayuta could do nothing but nod. Despite how miffed he was that the moment was ruined, he also understood that the baby did come first. While Ren tended to her daughter, he slid off the bed to go and take a shower lest he fall asleep right there and then. 

While the hot water relaxed his aching muscles, his mind began to wander. Music had been something personal to him, and he'd generally never cared about his audience. His audience could either enjoy his resolve or get out, but he would always write his music for himself. It was the same for the music he listened to, as well as created. 

As Ren's voice slowly made its way to his ears, he paused for a moment to listen, letting a small smile tug at his lips. 

Ren loved to sing, she needed it. It was almost like breathing to her. So when she was forced to go on hiatus thanks to her pregnancy, Nayuta knew the lack of opportunities to sing troubled her deeply. Even then, she hadn't let her spirit be dampened, instead turning to her next audience, her daughter. 

Unlike him, she didn't care whether her audience had the mental capability to understand her music, just that she enjoyed it. 

He sighed. Yuuto always told him that he needed to learn from Ren and not be so stuck up all the time. The nags had only gotten worse as he had married Ren and subsequently even more when he had become a father. 

He could almost hear Ren's voice in his head telling him "It doesn't matter what you sing, as long as you sing what you want to tell her the most." 

He took another deep breath as he pushed away from the wall, turning the water off. 

Perhaps Ren was right, and perhaps he could set aside his pride for once, if it was for his child. 

* * *

"Well, the new song sounds great," Reon said, pulling the earphones off. He turned to Nayuta, sitting on the couch with a bottle of water, offering an obvious huff at his feedback. 

He'd been scribbling in his notebook as the rest of the band got acquainted with their newest song. However, the band had noticed he seemed quite frustrated with whatever he was composing, but he'd been giving off the vibe of wanting to be left alone. 

Nayuta pulled himself to his feet, abandoning the notebook on the couch. "I'll be right back," he said, directing it to Kenta. 

The guitarist nodded. "Understood." 

As Nayuta left the studio for a moment, the other members of his band began to talk amongst themselves. "This is the second song he's composed since Yukina was born, isn't it?" Miyuki asked from his position near the drums. "It sounds different." 

"Well, Nayuta's music has always been an expression of himself," Kenta reasoned. "It changed when he got married too, remember?" 

Reon nodded. "Yeah, but at least his core is still there," he said. "But is it just me, or does he seem to be struggling today?" 

Ryo nodded. "Nayuta is definitely struggling," he noticed. "Too much struggle makes happiness avoid you." 

"Even after so many years I still have no idea what you're talking about," Reon said. 

In the meantime, Kenta moved to the couch to clear away Nayuta's empty bottle and replace it with a newly opened one. While doing so, his gaze fell to the notebook, lying open and inviting. Despite himself, curiosity overtook Kenta, and he picked up the book to read it. 

"Who the fuck gave you permission to read my notebook?" 

_Ah, Nayuta was back._

Kenta turned around, ignoring the vocalist's fury. "This isn't like anything you've written before," he gestured to the page. 

"Of course it isn't," Nayuta growled, snatching it away. "That's because it isn't for the band." 

"Oh?" Kenta raised an eyebrow. "Then who is it for?" 

Nayuta turned away, rubbing the back of his neck. "Y-Yukina..." he said through gritted teeth. 

Kenta looked amused. "Was that a song you were writing for her?" he asked, pulling the book back from a protesting Nayuta. "Ah, I see it now." 

Nayuta clicked his tongue, seriously annoyed. Failing once again to retrieve his notebook back, despite the other being much shorter than he was, he sighed in exasperation. "Ren wants me to sing to her," he explained. "I don't know any lullabies." 

"So you're writing one for her?" Miyuki completed, resting his head on folded arms with a sly smile on his face. "What a good father!" 

"Eh?" Reon chuckled. "Yukina's lucky. She's got a father who'll write her an entire lullaby when she wants one." 

Ryo smiled. "Anything that brings the little one happiness~" 

"If you all don't stop, I really will kill all of you." 

As Nayuta continued to threaten the rest of his band, Kenta perused the couple of stanzas of lyrics he'd written once more. 

"Besides, it doesn't matter," Nayuta exclaimed. "No one other than Yukina will hear it anyway." 

Kenta's head shot up at that. "About that," he said. "I'd like to disagree. This is really good." 

"Hah?" Nayuta asked, his face paling as he was put on the spot. 

"These lyrics are good," Kenta repeated himself. "You can't tell they're for an infant unless you know the song was written as a lullaby for her beforehand." 

"A lullaby that doesn't sound like a lullaby," Reon said, giving a small scoff. "Sounds like something he'd write." 

Nayuta ignored him. "What are you on about, Satozuka?" he demanded. 

"I think you should go with this," Kenta said, brandishing the book. "The lyrics are good, and with a good arrangement, it could turn out to be an incredibly strong song." 

"It's that good?" Reon's eyes widened. "Let me see." 

Nayuta continued to protest as Reon took his notebook from Kenta, running his eyes over the lyrics. He then looked back up. "He's right, this is really good!" 

"Tch," Nayuta spat. "Not like you'll ever hear it anyway." 

"Oh, and why not?" Miyuki asked. 

"Because I'm stuck..." 

* * *

Ren was surprised when she couldn't find her husband. 

She'd taken a few minutes after he got home to clean up the baby's high chair after she'd finished her dinner. Nayuta had taken her up, but when Ren was done, she found him missing. 

Of course, one couldn't really call it missing if the only place she checked was the study. But in her defence, he almost was always there, when he wasn't with her or his daughter. 

Ah...

She went up to their bedroom, peeking in to see Nayuta standing next to the crib, playing with his daughter. 

"There you are, Nayuta-kun!" Ren exclaimed as she made her way over. "I've been looking all over for you." 

He acknowledged her with a soft grunt. Ren went over to him, watching as Yukina grasped at his fingers, attracted to the silver rings he always wore. He was careful, however, to not let her grab onto them, lest she end up swallowing them. Instead, he rested his guard when she grabbed hold of one of his naked fingers, giggling as she grasped his single finger with both her tiny hands. 

Ren gently squeezed his upper arm. "Nayuta-kun seems stressed," she said. 

He let out a small sigh, not taking his eyes off his daughter. "I'm stuck," he admitted. 

"With your newest composition?" Ren asked. "Anything I can do to help?" 

Nayuta shook his head. "I'm afraid this is something I have to do on my own." 

Ren pursed her lips, seeming a bit unhappy. "Do you need to?" she asked. "We're married, aren't we? Can't you let me help?" 

"That defeats the purpose." 

Ren sighed, knowing that pursuing it further would just result in nothing when her husband set his mind to something. "What are you writing, anyway?" 

"Something for Yukina." 

She looked back at him, her face lightened up. "Nayuta-kun, you really are going to sing to her!" 

"I'm considering it." 

Ren grinned, turning her attention back to her daughter, who had abandoned her conquest of her father's fingers and was now entertaining herself by sucking on her thumb. She reached down, gently stroking Yukina's pale blue curls. As she watched the baby's peaceful face, Ren gave a small laugh. 

"Sleep well, my little candlelight," she said softly. Nayuta turned to her, his interest piqued. 

"Candlelight?" he repeated. 

Ren nodded. "If Nayuta-kun is a raging fire," Nayuta almost balked at the metaphor that had stuck to him for over ten years. "Then doesn't it make sense that Yukina is a candlelight?" As she stroked her daughter's head, Nayuta found himself captivated by the gentle loving gaze in her violet eyes. "A candle's flame is small, but it has the potential to turn into a massive one. And even if it's small, it still brings light and happiness to those who see it." 

As Ren laughed softly, Nayuta raised an eyebrow. "What made you think of this?" he asked. 

"Oh, it was actually Wataru," Ren admitted. "He thought of it while he was playing with Yukina today!" 

"He did, huh?" Nayuta was too intrigued to make a snide remark about his wife's friends. He knew that a lot of people, from anonymous users on online forums to his own bandmates, had high expectations from Yukina, seeing as she was the daughter of Asahi Nayuta and Nanahoshi Ren. Nayuta's own singing ability had been praised high and low, and so did Ren's. And now a child had been born of the two of them. Needless to say, there was a lot of interest, and Nayuta didn't even need to look far to find it. At his side, Kenta himself had commented that he was interested to see where she would go, and that was the day he met her for the first time, the day she'd been born.

Nayuta looked back down at her. This child, this small child, who fit so snugly in his arms, had the potential to surpass both him and her mother. 

Like a candle had the potential to become a roaring flame if set to a forest. 

Ren took a quick look at him, gauging his thoughts. "She's got a lot of expectations for her age, huh?" she softly guessed what he was thinking. "Yeah, my friends think so too. Wataru apologized too, after making the comparison, but they say they can't help it." She smiled gently. "You know, while I'd love more than anything for her to stand on a stage like us, I don't want to push her into it." Ren took a deep breath. "If she finds music, I want her to find it the way I did. I want her to see music as a way to express her own self, to find something that moves her heart, not because her parents sing." 

Nayuta kept silent, although it moved something in his heart. He was very much aware that while he did find music to be an effective form of self expression, the only reason he'd reached out to music was because his heart had been full of hate for his father. That hate had been all he'd known, yet he recalled when he first heard Ren sing, the way she was so untethered and free, with no limits as she reached for the stars. 

A part of him thought that was what he wanted for Yukina, that if his daughter were to ever follow in her parents' footsteps, she find music the way her mother did. 

"Candlelight, huh?" he murmured, looking down at the baby. 

Ren turned to him. "You look like you just had an epiphany," she noticed. 

"I did."

* * *

An epiphany it certainly was, as all that he needed to break through the shackles of his block and finish the song was the idea of candlelight. He'd had the lyrics done by the end of the day, and would have stayed longer to work on the composition, but he needed to get home. He couldn't deny that a small part of him was also excited to test drive this new thing. 

Upon returning home, he found Ren rocking her daughter to sleep, looking quite disheveled. "Ren? Did something happen?" he asked. 

She quickly shook her head, forcing a smile, trying desperately hard not to betray her weariness. "No, no! It's fine!" she said cheerfully. "Yukina just...was a bit fussier than normal today." 

Nayuta knew Ren well enough that it was a massive understatement. Most likely it had been one of those days where Yukina had practically brought the house down. A part of him felt guilty since he should have been here to help, rather than push the time in the studio to finish his song or practice. He felt guilty for leaving Ren to handle their daughter all by herself. 

He sighed, watching as Ren placed Yukina back in her crib to rest for a bit, noting how she let out a heavy breath and quickly wiped the sweat from her brow. He quickly wrapped his arms around her stomach from behind, pushing his face into the crook of her neck. "I should have been here," he murmured. 

Ren smiled. "It's fine, she's calm now," she said. "Don't worry about it." 

Nayuta pulled his head away for a moment, turning to her. "Go get cleaned up," he told her. "I'll take over from here." 

Ren blinked. "But, Nayuta-kun..." 

"Go. I said I'd handle it, didn't I?" he insisted. 

Ren sighed softly, nodding. She leaned up to press her forehead to his for a moment, allowing herself to relax before pushing away from the crib to to go to the bathroom. As she disappeared into the bathroom, Nayuta turned back to the baby who was reaching out for him and gurgling softly. 

"You caused your mother a lot of trouble," he told her, picking her up in his arms. The baby simply giggled, unaware of the stress she had caused her mother, reaching out instead to touch Nayuta's face. He sighed, adjusting her position so she was cuddled up in his arms, ready to sleep. 

_Hopefully this works_ , he thought as he opened his mouth to sing. 

He'd followed Ren's advice and put whatever he wanted to tell this small child in this song. Although the actual meaning was obscured with metaphors, he spoke of great expectations and the potential she had, like a tiny flame. 

Because she was _his_ daughter, she'd have his entire reputation following her everywhere, with everyone watching her to see what she'd do. 

But for now, in her father's arms as she drifted off into a deep sleep, it was fine. 

He finished his song and paused for a moment, taking a deep breath. When he looked back down at her, he found the baby sound asleep in his arms, her little fingers grasping at his sleeve. 

She looked so peaceful when she slept. 

Crossing his fingers that she would actually sleep through the whole night this time, he gently placed her back in her crib, tugging his sleeve out of her tiny grip. The motion didn't seem to wake her, as she just turned her head to the side and continued to sleep. 

He dropped back onto the bed, heaving a sigh of relief that it was over. Turning his head, he found Ren, freshly showered and her eyes shining. "Was that the new song?" she asked. 

He nodded wordlessly. "It's beautiful," she said. As he slid into the bed next to her, she reached out to interlock their fingers. "I felt your feelings, Nayuta-kun. And I'm sure she did too." 

"She's not old enough to understand," Nayuta gently pointed out. 

"Perhaps," Ren agreed. "But one day, she will." 

Nayuta sighed heavily. "You sure about that?" 

Ren nodded. "After all, it'll be Gyroaxia's song too, won't it?" she guessed. "Then she'll hear it one day, and she'll know its the song her father wrote for her." 

Nayuta pulled her hand to his face, pressing his lips to her knuckles. "Can we forget about that for now?" he asked in a low voice. "I'd like to focus on the present." 

Ren giggled slightly. "On the fact that you have such a cute baby?" she asked. 

"On the fact that we should hopefully get a good night's sleep for once." 

Unfortunately for Nayuta, his hope had not come to fruition, as close to 4 am, his daughter woke up and started crying, leading him to begrudingly pull himself out of bed and soothe her, lest Ren wake up from her deep sleep. 

For better or for worse, Gyroaxia's new song Candlelight seemed to simply blaze through the charts, and Kenta had insisted it be their title track for their new album, despite Nayuta's protests. Whether he liked it or not, the lullaby he'd written for his infant daughter was now the song the band used to headline their new album, and Nayuta certainly didn't miss the knowing looks the others would throw him every time they performed it. 

While he wouldn't say it out loud, that song ended up taking a special place in his heart.


	7. My Valentine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's Valentine's Day, and the two families celebrate in their own way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had this chapter half done but had schoolwork to do! I'm glad I was able to finish it in time though!

It was Valentine's Day, and was somehow a day Yukina looked forward to. Of course, she was still too young to understand, instead the main attraction being the chocolates being sold everywhere. Although Ren didn't understand that either, since if she ever had any craving for sweets, all she needed was to ask her father. Nayuta, despite his lack of verbal affection, was more than ready to give into any and all of his daughter's demands and spoil her rotten. 

They had celebrated Valentine's as a family the year prior, but Yukina had been too young to understand why there was suddenly so much chocolate floating around the house. But this year was different, as Yukina had woken up early to get ready for "Chocolate Day." She was now not only old enough to read a calendar, but had no doubt noticed the chocolates her father had brought the night prior, chocolates painstakingly chosen along with Kenta who had dragged him along, foreseeing the event. 

Nayuta had bemusedly put up with her babbling as he got her ready for daycare, often finding himself stumped as she badgered him with questions of why the chocolate on that day and who brought the chocolate. He'd also had to correct her earlier when she asked him whether he'd be bringing her chocolate, telling her that it was the girls who gave chocolate to the guys, and that the favor was returned on White Day. She'd been confused about whether or not she'd get chocolate, leading Ren to tell her that they'd definitely have chocolate present for dessert that night. 

It had been enough for her, considering that the child had been known to wait. The promise of chocolate had made her be on her best behavior, even giving Koharu and the regular daycare worker chocolates when she went in that morning. It had been cute enough that Ren had considered having Yukina give the rest of Gyroaxia chocolates too, but Nayuta had shot the idea down at once, refusing to let any chocolate from his beloved daughter's hands go to his bandmates. 

Before practice, Ren shared chocolate with the rest of her band, a tradition of sorts they had come up with since they formed. And of course, Rio had been experimenting with recipes and had made enough for all of them to take home. 

Hence, when Nayuta returned home that night, he found Ren pouring and arranging the small bite sized chocolates onto a tray and placing it on the dining table. "Rio made a bit extra," she told him as he slid into the seat next to his excited daughter. 

He eyed the delicately crafted confectionaries. "A _bit_ extra?" he repeated. 

Ren sheepishly chuckled. "Heh, yeah, I see your point," she admitted. She then turned to the waiting child. "Here you go, Yukina," she said. "All of these are for you, so eat as many as you want!" 

Nayuta gave a small sigh. "Just let us brush your teeth thoroughly after this," he relented. "The last thing we want to deal with is tooth decay." 

The child nodded, reaching out to take one of the pieces in her little hand. Then, instead of shoving it in her mouth like they expected, she turned in her seat, holding it out towards her father. 

Nayuta raised an eyebrow at that. "Are you...offering it to me?" he asked. 

The toddler nodded. "For Papa!" she declared. "For Valun...tin...Day!" 

Nayuta sighed. "You should have it," he told her gently. "They were made for you." 

She shook her head. "Papa...eat!" she insisted. 

Over by the tray, Ren giggled. "I think she's chosen her Valentine this year," she chuckled. "You should take it, Nayuta-kun." 

Nayuta raised his eyes to his wife to find that she'd already taken out her phone, ready to snap a photo to his annoyance. However, when he looked down at his daughter staring at him with expectant eyes, he couldn't help but give in, leaning down to take the small piece from her tiny hand in his mouth. 

His eyes widened slightly. "This is...quite good," he said, as the delicate flavors of the chocolate swirled around in his mouth. 

At his acceptance, Yukina smiled widely, happy that her gift to her father had been accepted. Satisfied with her present, she turned to putting one of those enticing treats in her own mouth, relishing in the taste. 

Ren chuckled. "I suppose you'll now have to get her something on White Day," she pointed out. 

He sighed. "I suppose," he agreed, although he'd already planned on getting her a gift, chocolate or not. 

Ren quickly moved to his side, reaching out to swipe at his bottom lip with her thumb. "You had some chocolate there," she said softly, her voice heavy with affection. 

_Chocolate, huh?_

A part of him went back ten years ago, when she'd given him chocolate for the first time. While she'd given it to everyone in his band and her own, not just him, a part of him treasured receiving the small box from her when she stopped by their practice studio. He'd eaten them in secret that night, somehow finding her heart in the types of chocolates she'd chosen, keeping his tastes in mind. 

The next year they'd been dating, so they spent it together, and he'd demanded she feed it to him herself. In his words, "do it properly, till the end." 

They'd not been able to spend every single Valentine's together as their schedules sometimes came into conflict, putting distance between them. It hadn't changed even when they were married, and Nayuta had more than felt guilty for leaving his wife alone their first year married. Although, she wasn't really alone, since she'd been on tour as well back then. 

He'd not really cared much about Valentine's Day before, with or without Ren at his side. It was just another day for him. 

However, Ren somehow loved it. 

In front of him, Ren watched her daughter stuff her cheeks of chocolate, gently stroking her head. She then raised her head as a thought seemed to strike her. 

"Oh! I almost forgot!" She reached over to quickly grab one of the pieces, turning to Nayuta and holding it to him. "Say ah!" 

"What the-?" 

Despite his protest, he still didn't resist as Ren held the piece up to his mouth, and opened his mouth slightly to allow her to push it past his lips. 

She leaned back, smiling. "There!" she exclaimed. "Now you owe both of us." 

He stayed silent, softly chewing the piece. "I'm happy," Ren told him. "At least I didn't forget to show you my love." 

He swallowed the piece quickly, resisting the urge to act on his primal desires right now, instead contending himself with pulling her a bit closer to rest his hand on her hip. "What do you mean?" he asked. 

"Well, even if we're married, Valentine's Day is still a day of love," Ren replied, gazing down at him, her amethyst eyes shining with affection for him. "And also, Nayuta-kun has two Valentines from now on, huh?" she chuckled. 

Nayuta swallowed his words, turning to their daughter, blissfully unaware of her parents' current interaction. It was awfully tempting to pull Ren away for a short while, but he knew better than anyone else that it was better to keep his hands to himself till she was fast asleep. 

Two Valentines, huh? 

Nayuta took a deep breath, reaching out to ruffle his daughter's messy bangs. 

Ren then decided it was time for bed, putting the chocolates away. Luckily, the child was fully satiated with the amount she'd eaten, yawning and rubbing her eyes. Ren took charge of preparing their daughter for bed, and Nayuta agreed with a grunt. However, she surprised him by placing a quick kiss to his cheek when Yukina was distracted. 

When she took their daughter and disappeared into the bedroom, Nayuta ran a frustrated hand through his hair. He waited at the table, watching the water swirl in the glass he was holding in silent anticipation of his wife's return. 

As he did so, he thought that the two girls he lived with would one day be the death of him. 

* * *

"Alright," Wataru stated as he laid out all the chocolates given by Rio. "Take your pick!" 

Akira exclaimed excitedly, but Yuuto balked slightly at the table completely covered with chocolates. "This...uh... isn't it too much?" he asked, gesturing to the absolute massive number of pastries and other confectionaries strewn about the table. 

"It's fine," Wataru waved him off. "It's Valentine's Day, so let him eat all the chocolate he wants." 

"Ah, Akira's not the one I'm worried about," Yuuto pointed out, turning to see that Wataru was already popping one of the small bite sized ones in his mouth. 

"Hm?" Wataru asked, oblivious to his husband's worries. 

"Seriously, Wataru," Yuuto shook his head. "You're not 18 anymore. Please control yourself." 

"I _am_ controlling myself," Wataru insisted, although already in the process of choosing a chocolate icing heavy pasty for himself as their son ravaged the stocks, stuffing his face. 

Yuuto sighed. Even after over ten years together, some things would never change. Even though he played up the concerned partner, a part of him was happy that time hadn't changed the things he loved most about his husband. And it also hadn't changed that for twelve years, while Yuuto would feign disgust at the way Wataru would fully engorge himself on sweets on Valentine's Day, the guitarist would always pick chocolates for him, and secretly love it when he saw just how happy they made him. 

He sighed. "I'll be right back," he told his family, pressing a small kiss to Akira's head. "Enjoy, okay? But don't go overboard, or your teeth will fall out." 

"Yu, don't scare the boy!" Wataru complained through a mouthful. As Yuuto left to make his way to the kitchen, he heard Wataru quickly assure the child that his teeth wouldn't fall out, but that he shouldn't eat too many sweets and that today was an exception. 

_Show him by example,_ Yuuto thought amusedly, getting himself a glass of water. 

"Yu," he suddenly heard Wataru's voice behind him. 

"Huh? What's up?" he asked. However, when he turned back, he found hands suddenly clutching at the collar of his shirt, pulling him down, lips finding his partner's. It took him a moment to realize that Wataru had a chocolate piece in his mouth, and that as they kissed, the piece passed into his own mouth. 

Wataru pulled back, looking pleased as Yuuto quickly swiped at his lips with his thumb, cleaning off a small bit of chocolate that had gotten there. "What was that?" Yuuto asked, still a bit flushed, and a part of him had to appreciate that even after all these years, Wataru still managed to surprise him and make him feel like they'd just begun dating. 

Wataru chuckled softly. "What do you think?" he asked, reaching out to wrap his arms around Yuuto's neck. " _That_ was my Valentine's gift for you." 

Yuuto stared for a moment as the chocolate piece melted in his mouth, unable to do anything but give out a chuckle of his own. "You really..." he trailed off. 

As Wataru titled his head upwards to reach him, Yuuto paused for a moment. "What about Akira?" he asked. 

"Distracted, for the moment," Wataru informed, his gaze fixated on his husband's soft lips. "But we'll have to go back soon. Otherwise he may just eat the entire table." 

Yuuto laughed lightly, allowing Wataru to slide his lips over his. "Happy Valentine's Day, Yu," the redhead murmured. 

He smiled. "I love you," he said back. Wataru simply hummed, and for a moment that seemed to last hours, the two fell into a dream world of their own creation. 

Although, they were quick to separate and return to their son, and Yuuto thought in the back of his mind that he was happy that their dream world now included three.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you're wondering, yes this chapter was an excuse to write affectionate Yuuwata and NayuRen.


	8. An Inspiration

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Koharu and Daimon drop by for lunch and bring their son, Yori.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And finally we get to meet Koharu and Daimon's adopted son, Yori.

Daimon moved around behind the counter, cleaning up the last few glasses and setting them in their places. Behind him sat a blonde haired boy with notebooks open in front of him, however his gaze was turned to the small television in the cafe, grey eyes wide as the figures moved on the screen. 

The elder gave a small chuckle before returning to his task, head snapping up when the door opened, revealing a tired looking pink haired man. "Oh, Koharu," he acknowledged the other. "Welcome back." 

Koharu nodded, sliding onto a seat at the counter. "Gimme a coffee," he demanded. 

"Long day?" Daimon asked, getting on to preparing his husband's pick-me-up. 

Koharu nodded. "Got asked to help out with the daycare again," he sighed, stretching his arms up above his head. "And it's exam season so I've got papers to grade, and it's still a hassle even though they're first graders." He then turned to look at the child. "What's up with Yori?" 

Daimon grinned, setting the pink haired man's coffee in front of him. "Leave him," he said gently. "He's watching a performance." 

Koharu followed the boy's stormy eyes to the TV, smiling when he saw just what was playing. "Gyroaxia, huh?" he asked, reaching out to ruffle the boy's golden locks. "Ya've taken quite the liking to them." 

The boy nodded. "They're so cool!" he exclaimed, finally acknowledging his father's presence. "Especially him!" he pointed with his finger to the screen at the moment the camera zoomed in on the silver haired vocalist. 

"Oh, Asahi Nayuta, isn't it?" Koharu asked. 

The boy nodded. "He's so cool and awesome on stage!" His fathers shared a quick look of amusement at the child's limited vocabulary. "Hey, Dad, you're in a band, right? You have to know Gyroaxia, right?" 

Daimon chuckled softly at the boy's excitement. "Actually, we competed against them back in the day," he said. "That was, what, twelve years ago?" 

"Such a long time," Koharu said, propping his chin on his palm. "And didn't you and Asahi Nayuta actually get close back then?" 

"He's a fellow coffee connoisseur," Daimon replied. 

Koharu laughed lightly. "Of course he is," he prodded. "Ya just like anyone who likes coffee. Simple as always, huh?" 

Daimon gestured slightly with his head to their son's wide shining eyes. "Really?" he exclaimed. "You guys _really_ know Asahi Nayuta?" 

Koharu chuckled. "I am surprised how you're so fascinated by him," he said. His husband chuckled. "Well, Nayuta has always been popular with the younger crowd," he pointed out. "Still, he probably wasn't expecting _this_ young." 

"Why do you like him so much?" Koharu wondered. "And also, why isn't your fathers' band your favorite?" His voice had a touch of mock hurt in it. 

"Nayuta's so cool!" Yori exclaimed. "I don't like Dad's band though." 

"Oh? Why not?"

Yori was quick to shake his head. "Dad dresses like a girl," he pointed at Koharu. "That's weird."

The bassist ran a hand through his pink curls. "Ah, the allure of visual kei continues to evade our son," he whined softly. "Whatever shall we do?" 

"He'll come around one day," Daimon gently assured. He then thought for a moment. "If I'm not wrong, Nayuta has a daughter, right?" he directed the question to his husband. 

Koharu hummed softly, taking a sip of his coffee lest it get cold. "She goes to the daycare, so sometimes he comes to drop her off or pick her up." He pursed his lips. "Although it's mostly Ren who drops her off and picks her up." 

Yori tilted his head slightly. "He has a daughter?" he asked. "Oh, can I play with her?" 

"Well, she _is_ still a baby, so you might be disappointed," the teacher informed the boy. "Although Yuuto-kun and Wataru-kun also have a son, so you can possibly play with him." 

"Setting up a playdate, are we?" Daimon asked. 

Koharu finished his cup, sliding it a bit over the table. "It wouldn't hurt, would it?" he asked. "I'll have to talk to Ren too. Perhaps Yori can actually meet Nayuta." 

At that, the boy yelled out in happiness, and the thought of meeting his idol was enough to get him to focus and finish his homework. 

* * *

"Yori-kun wants to meet Nayuta-kun?" Ren asked as her daughter clutched onto her jeans. 

Koharu nodded. "I wanted to run it by you guys first," he said, running his eyes over the three adults in front of him. "It's also been a while, so Daimon and I wanted to know whether we could drop by for lunch on the weekend?" 

Yuuto shrugged. "I have no objections," he agreed. "Yori's a nice kid, and I'm sure Akira will like him too." 

Ren held her chin for a moment. "Well, Nayuta-kun has a day off on the weekend," she said. "Would Sunday work for you?" she lifted her head. 

Koharu hummed, grinning widely. "Perfect," he said. "We'll bring Yori over then!" He turned to Yuuto and Wataru. "We'll be seeing you guys too, I hope?" 

Yuuto chuckled. "Wouldn't miss it for the world!" he stated excitedly as his husband quickly shushed him since they were probably bothering the other teachers around them. 

Yukina had been watching the interaction silently, her violet eyes flitting between the adults. As a question rose in her heart, she tugged on her mother's jeans, getting her attention. "Yes, Yukina?" 

"Will Sensei come home?" the little girl asked, casting a glance at Koharu. 

Koharu smiled gently, leaning over to pet her head. "Yes, Sensei will be coming to your home for lunch this Sunday," he told her. "I'll also be bringing a new friend, if you'll have us?" 

"Friend?" Akira echoed from behind Wataru. 

Koharu nodded. "Sensei here has a son too," he pointed to himself. "He wants to come over and play with you two. Is that fine?" 

Akira turned his head to meet Yukina's gaze, and the two shared a silent conversation while the adults looked on amusedly. Reaching a conclusion, the two turned back and nodded. "New friend!" Yukina agreed. 

"Well, that puts me at ease," Koharu admitted, lifting his gaze from the toddlers to the adults. "So we'll see you on Sunday then." 

* * *

Sunday found Yuuto and Wataru going over to Ren's place a few hours before their lunch with their seniors. Yuuto took control of the kitchen, guiding Wataru through making a few different dishes outside of their usual, since he was quite the self-styled home cook. In the meantime, Ren stayed with the kids, bringing out their toys and keeping them entertained while they waited. 

Nayuta had put up with everything begrudgingly. Of course, he was never one for lunches or socializing, always preferring to be alone so he could write in peace. The closest he'd come to hanging out had been when his band had dragged him to bars and restaurants after practice back in Sapporo, refusing to leave him alone. And then there were his dates with Ren, which mostly involved karaoke or movie nights inside, so they couldn't really call that "hanging out." 

He'd been a bit surprised that a 7 year old had taken such a keen interest in him and his music, but had originally opposed the meet, citing it as unneeded. But Ren had talked him into it somehow, and now he found himself being talked into swapping his ripped hoodie for a nicer jacket by her as the time of their guests' arrival neared. 

Soon enough, the doorbell rang, revealing the three guests. "Are we late?" Daimon asked as he removed his jacket. At his side, Koharu did the same. 

Ren shook her head. "You're right on time!" she said. Then she took notice of the third figure, a bit shy as he hid behind his fathers. "And this must be Yori-kun!" she noticed. "I'm Nanahoshi Ren. That's Matoba Wataru and Goryo Yuuto."

Daimon gently pushed the boy forward from behind him. "Go ahead, introduce yourself," he urged. 

The blond boy blinked a couple of times, taking a deep breath as he psyched himself up. "M-Mitsurugi Yori," the child said. "I'm seven years old." 

Wataru grinned. "Nice to meet you, Yori-kun," he greeted kindly. 

Yori smiled softly, slowly letting his guard down around the strangers. Just then, a shout rang out from inside. "Hey, Ren! Which jacket do I wear?" 

Ren turned around. "It's on the bed!" she called out. "More importantly, come quick! Daimon-san and Koharu-san are here!" 

Yori's eyes widened at the sound of the voice. "Is...that...?" he asked, voice too low that the adults couldn't hear. 

Ren ushered the three of them in, bringing them to the living room where the two kids were playing. "Yukina! Akira-kun! Come meet Yori-kun!" 

The toddlers looked up from their game at the newcomers. Ren moved to Yukina's side, gesturing to the young boy to approach too. 

"Yukina, this is Yori-kun, Sensei's son," Ren told her daughter. "He's here to play with you!" She turned to the golden haired boy. "Yori-kun, this is my daughter, Asahi Yukina-chan." She pointed to the ebony haired boy sitting by a small tower of bricks. "And that's Yuuto and Wataru's son, Goryo Akira-kun." 

Yori was quick to sit down, carefully considering the two toddlers staring at him with large curious eyes. "L-let's get along!" he stammered. 

At that moment, Nayuta appeared at the foot of the stairs, having swapped his ripped hoodie for a black leather jacket. "Oi, Ren," he called out. "I couldn't find where you kept it so I just wore this one-" He then paused as he took in the crowded living room. "Oh, you're here already." 

Daimon smiled gently at him. "Hey there, Nayuta. It's been a while, huh?" he greeted, going over to the vocalist to shake his hand. 

Nayuta gave him a nod of acknowledgement. "Likewise," he said, firmly shaking the drummer's hand. "The cafe's doing well, I hope." 

Daimon nodded. "You should drop by sometime," he urged. "It's been years since I've seen you! You were one of my biggest patrons back in the day." 

Nayuta hummed, offering a quick greeting to Koharu, since he'd already met the elder the previous week when he'd picked Yukina up. However, Koharu's attention quickly moved to his son, who was staring at the newcomer with wide eyes. 

"Well, Yori?" he said. "You wanted to meet Asahi Nayuta, right? Go say hello." 

Nayuta raised an eyebrow at the young boy, who shrunk slightly and hid behind Koharu, clutching onto his shirt. "Oh? What's wrong?" the pink haired man asked. 

"He must be feeling shy," Daimon reasoned. "After all, not every day you get to meet your idol." 

Nayuta sighed heavily. "I'm no one's idol," he quickly said. 

"Tell that to Yori," Daimon told him. "He doesn't watch any other band but yours." 

Nayuta gave a short huff, turning away, although Ren didn't miss the light pink flush on his face. She chuckled softly, turning to Yori, reaching her hand out to the child. "He's not that scary, even though he looks like it," she said, ignoring the indignant glare her husband sent her way. "Come on, I'll introduce you." 

The boy hesitantly took her hand as she gently ushered him from behind his father. Ren then turned to Nayuta, gesturing him over. "Nayuta-kun, come over." 

The man sighed but did as she asked, going over to them. He chose to take a seat on the ground at his wife's insistence, but next to his daughter. Upon her father's arrival, the toddler had gone up to him, climbing into his lap at once. Behind them, Yuuto and Wataru watched amusedly as Nayuta struggled not to snap or say anything harsh in front of the boy, giving Ren free reign to order him around. 

"Nayuta-kun, say hi!" Ren told her husband. 

Nayuta gave a deep sigh. "Uh, hey," he told the boy, resulting in an exasperated sigh from Ren. However, Yori didn't seem to mind his lack of social skills, slowly moving in front of Ren, gray eyes fixed on the other. And yet, the boy seemed to have trouble coming up with words, what with his idol sitting right in front of him, and Nayuta realized he'd have to make the first move this time. 

"So..." he trailed off, wracking his brain for something he could talk with to a second grader. "You listen to Gyroaxia, huh?" 

The boy's eyes suddenly lit up as he nodded furiously. "Yes!" he exclaimed. "You're all so cool! I listen to you always! Like when you-" 

As the boy continued to babble on about their latest live, Nayuta quickly raised his eyes to meet Ren's, only to see her holding up a thumbs up sign and smiling. He sighed, letting the boy go on and on. In the meantime, Yukina gently tugged at her father's jacket, seeking his attention. However since Nayuta was a bit more focused on the hyperactive boy in front of him, the only amount of attention he could spare for his daughter was giving her his fingers and letting her play with them. 

Koharu chuckled, reaching out to ruffle his son's hair. "Slow down, Yori," he laughed. "Your words are running away." 

At his father's words, the boy gave an almost comical gasp, throwing his hands over his mouth to stem the tide of praise flooding out of it. "But you know..." Koharu turned to the white haired vocalist. "You really inspired him. He keeps telling us he wants to be in a band when he grows up." 

Nayuta raised an eyebrow. "Oh, really?" he asked. At that moment, Yukina had succeeded in tugging off one of his rings, leading to Nayuta spending a few moments getting it back lest she swallow it somehow. 

Yori nodded. "I...I want to be like you..." he said, looking down with his face flushed. Nayuta took a deep breath, allowing a small smile to tug at the corners of his lips. "Is that so?" 

Before they could continue the conversation any further, Wataru came up to them. "Shall we continue this over food?" he suggested. "It's getting late for the kids." 

Murmurs of approval went around the adults as the pulled themselves to their feet and prepared the kids for lunch. Akira was quick to grab onto Wataru's hand as the adult lead him to the dining table. Ren moved to Nayuta's side as Yukina reached out for her mother, more than content to let herself be carried. As they vacated the living room for the dining room, Nayuta paused for a minute, seeing the crestfallen face on the blond boy. 

Instinctively, he found himself reaching out and placing a hand on Yori's head. "If you do join a band, you'll make your fathers proud," he told the child before leaving to follow the other adults. 

However, he didn't need to look back to see the smile had returned to his face. 

* * *

Lunch was a scrumptious serving of various dishes, and as the kids dug in, the adults struck up a conversation, talking about everything from current plans to reminiscing about their pasts together. 

"It's funny how far we've all come," Daimon commented. "A decade ago, all of us were rivals, and yet today, here we are, having built families of our own." 

Ren smiled, her gaze flitting to Nayuta for a moment. "I know what you mean," she agreed. "Sometimes even I can't believe it myself." 

Koharu chuckled. "Oh, speaking of families," he piped up. "I got a call the other day from Hayasaka Kohei, of all people." 

"Kohei-san?" Yuuto echoed the surprise of the others. 

Koharu nodded somberly. "Yeah, it seems his divorce finally went through," he informed them. "From what he told me, he got custody of his daughter, so he called me to find out more about the daycare." 

"So, it fell through in the end, huh?" Wataru sighed. He wasn't entirely close with the leader of the ska band, but he did know that he was a kind individual.

Kohei had been one of the first ones to get married, surprising all of them. It had been to a woman he'd met at one of Fuujin Rizing's shows, and when the bands had been at the wedding, the two had seemed happy together. However, it hadn't lasted long since when Kohei had come to Nayuta and Ren's wedding by himself, he let on that they'd been having "troubles" reconciling his band activities with married life. 

"How old is Kohei-kun's daughter?" Ren inquired. 

"If I recall correctly, Hina-chan just turned one a few months ago," Koharu informed. "That makes her younger than Yukina-chan and Akira-kun." 

"They'll have a new playmate soon, huh?" Wataru wistfully asked. 

Daimon grinned. "Oi, isn't this too many kids from the bands?" he joked. 

Koharu gave a deep chuckle. "Tell me about it," he said. "At this rate, the daycare will be overrun with band kids." He perked up. "Should I start a band-exclusive daycare? We'd make quite the killing!"

They laughed, and even Nayuta let out a small chuckle. As they wound down to the end of their lunch together, Ren and Wataru moved to take the toddlers and put them to bed. 

"Come on, Yukina," Ren told her daughter. "Let's go take your nap." 

Yukina was in the middle of yawning when her mother spoke to her. However, she paused and turned to look at Yori, seemingly making the connection that now lunch was over, it also meant the end of their time together. "Yori-kun...not staying?" she asked her mother. 

Ren sighed softly, not knowing how to tell her that Yori would be gone when she awoke later in the evening. On the side, Akira seemed to have caught onto Yukina's though process, looking tearfully at Yuuto. "Yori-kun...no go..." the black haired boy said. 

At seeing that, Yori smiled, leaning down to see them. "I'll be going now," he told them. "But I'll be back again to play!" He then looked up at Ren and Wataru. "Um...can I come again?" he asked, after realizing he probably should have asked earlier. 

Ren chuckled. "Of course, Yori-kun!" she said. "We'd love to have you come over and play with Yukina and Akira again. Right, Nayuta-kun?" 

Nayuta almost jumped from his place, suddenly put on the spot. "Uh...yeah," he shrugged. "As long as they have fun, I guess." 

No one looked happier at his comment than Yori himself.

With a future visit in the works, Ren and Wataru were able to convince the two toddlers to go for their afternoon nap before handing them off to Nayuta, who had graciously volunteered to put the two to bed, mostly as an excuse to not socialize more than necessary. Saying quick goodbyes, he took the two kids up to his bedroom so they could sleep for a few hours, letting the others see their guests off at the door. 

"Thank you for having us," Daimon politely said. 

Koharu chuckled. "Well, we hope to come over more often anyway," he grinned. "Let's not be strangers!" 

"Likewise," Yuuto echoed. 

As the family of three drove away, Yori spent an extra moment to wave excitedly through the window. 

Yuuto laughed. "That kid's got a lot of energy," he commented. 

Wataru nodded. "He's a good kid," he said. "He'll be of immense help when Akira and Yukina grow." 

Ren hummed in agreement, turning to go back in. "Guys, can you help me clear the table?" she asked. 

Yuuto nodded. "I'll help you." 

"I've got the dishes," Wataru offered. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Nayuta isn't good with kids tbh, just his own 
> 
> I also wanted to drop a quick note about the names in the series and their meanings. 
> 
> Yukina is written with the kanji for "fortune" and "endure" (as you can tell Nayuta chose it) 
> 
> Akira is written with the kanji meaning "bright" 
> 
> Yori means "edge"


	9. Twinkle Twinkle

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rio drops by and offers to teach the kids a little something about music.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy belated birthday Rio! Sorry I couldn't get this out sooner, but along with college assignments I was having a bit of a writer's block! 
> 
> Hope you enjoy!

The moment Rio strolled through the door and plopped himself on the couch, releasing a heavy breath and loosening his tie, he was more than aware of the strange stares he was receiving, mainly from the two toddlers at his feet. 

He raised his head to the other members of his band loitering around the living room, minus Banri since he had a prior business arrangement regarding his family's dairy farm he needed to attend to. "Do I look that strange?" he asked, directing the question to the parents of the two in particular. 

Ren quickly shook her head. "I don't think its that," she offered. "I think its just the first time they've seen you in a suit." She pursed her lips for a moment as she thought. "Well, at least the first time they remember." 

Yuuto leaned on the edge of the couch opposite Rio as he removed his sport jacket with a large sigh. "I take it the marriage meeting didn't go too well?" the guitarist asked. 

Rio sighed, shaking his head. "So, what was the problem this time?" Wataru asked, moving towards Akira to pick his son up in his arms. "Too boring? Too exciting? Or not stable enough?" His voice had a hint of exasperation at hearing another of Rio's failed meetings. 

"We didn't have anything in common," Rio explained. "She also didn't like the fact that I was in a band and wanted to meet me because of my family's shop, nothing more, nothing less." 

Wataru sighed. "You somehow keep finding the ones who dislike you being in a band, huh?" he asked. "That's some luck." 

"Are your parents still pressuring you to get married?" Ren asked, taking a seat on the couch. Once she sat down, her daughter left the newcomer's side and moved to hers, attempting to lift herself up, but failing to do so due to her lack of upper body strength. Ren was quick to notice and pull her up, allowing her to cuddle into her side. 

Rio nodded. "They've been at this for years now," he said. "But it's been even more prominent since I turned 30." He exhaled. "They want me to marry and settle down quick." 

"And what about you?" Yuuto asked. "Do you even want to get married in the first place? You know it's fine if you don't, but in that case you'll have to tell them someday." 

"I know," Rio admitted. "And yes, I wouldn't mind starting a family myself one day. It's just..." He cast a quick look at the two kids nestled happily in their parents' arms. "If there's one thing I learned from you all, it's that marriage isn't easy, and I'd rather wait for the right person than rush into something." 

Wataru nodded somberly. "Better to wait than to regret it, huh?" he guessed softly, casting a quick look in Yuuto's direction. 

Rio hummed softly, straightening back up. "On another note," he quickly changed the topic to avoid the atmosphere. "I thought of a melody on my way over. Would you mind if I borrowed that?" he asked Ren, pointing to the wall piano nestled in a cozy enclave. 

Ren shook her head. "Please feel free," she said. "You know you don't need to ask to use it." 

"It is still your home, Nanahoshi, so it's only appropriate," Rio insisted with a soft smile. Ren could do nothing but give a soft chuckle and gently shake her head. Some things just don't change, she thought as she looked back down at her daughter, stroking her hair. 

Wataru handed Akira off to Yuuto to go over to Rio's side. The moment the child was passed between his father's hands, he immediately reached out for Yuuto's glasses to play with them, causing Yuuto to slightly panic but eventually pull them off and hand the frames to him. "Well? Let's hear this melody of yours." 

Rio gave a small smile at the pale red haired man, opening the cover of the wall piano and pulling out the seat. Settling quickly, he placed his fingers upon the monochrome keys, closing his eyes for a moment to make sure he hadn't lost the melody. Once sure it was still there, he then began to play. 

The notes he played were simple but flowed so well, the music they produced seemed to move every one of them, the feelings washing over them like a stream, taking them into another world. Rio then paused, turning around to gauge his members' reactions to find smiles all around. 

"That was amazing!" Ren exclaimed. "It really moved me!" 

Wataru nodded. "I like it," he said. "It's giving me an idea for the lyrics I want to write." 

Rio smiled softly. "Glad to hear that." However, before he could continue to talk, he caught something in the corner of his eye. Looking down, he found both Yukina and Akira, having escaped from their parents' sides, now peeking over the piano seat, their eyes wide and curious. 

"Oh?" he asked them gently. "Is something the matter?" 

He then noticed that their gazes weren't directed entirely towards him, but rather at his fingers resting on top of the black and white keys. 

A small smile tugged at the corners of his lips. "Ah, I see what's going on here," he realized. "You two have been awestruck by my composition." He playfully flicked a strand of his hair off his face. "Of course, it doesn't surprise me. I'm a genius after all." 

Wataru chuckled softly. "Is that what's up with you two?" he asked, bending down slightly to get closer to the kids. 

Yukina looked at him and shook her head, pointing to the keys. "Make...music?" she asked. 

Akira turned to his father. "We...make music?" he clarified for the adult bassist. 

Rio laughed slightly. "Of course," he said. "Why don't I teach you two a bit today?" He had to supress himself from outright laughing as the two toddlers cheered happily. He helped them both up on the seat next to him.

As Yukina made to crawl into his lap, she suddenly found her way blocked as Akira seemed to have the same idea as her. She attempted to shrug him off to get the best seat in the house, but he refused to budge, and the two found themselves at the start of a squabble. 

"No fighting," Rio's voice was stern yet gentle as he separated the two, sitting them on either side of him, and putting them in full view of the monochrome keys. 

As they peered curiously, Rio placed his fingers on the keys once more, his long and slender fingers softly resting on them. Even before he had begun playing, it seemed he'd caught the interest of the two. 

On the side, Wataru moved closer to Ren. "It'll be fine, won't it?" she asked. He nodded. "Nothing wrong with introducing them to music at this age," he rationalized. "And the piano is the perfect instrument, easy to learn and least likely to hurt them." He grinned softly. "And considering it's Kikyo teaching them, I think they'll be in good hands." 

Ren looked to her other side as Yuuto brandished out his phone with a smile on his face. "Yuuto's recording this?" she asked. 

"Yeah," the guitarist said. "I want to remember this moment." 

"Yu's been constantly upgrading his phone to the highest camera," Wataru gently shook his head. "He's been quite insistent on recording everything." 

"You have?" Ren blinked. 

Yuuto nodded. "Of course, I want to preserve these moments," he said. "But also, one day, when these two grow up, I want them to be able to look back on these times and smile at the memories."

Ren smiled at that. "Yeah, me too." 

In the meantime, Rio had taken a few moments to explain to the kids that the strange object didn't create music on its own, but required one to press the keys to make the sounds. To demonstrate, he played a couple of the beginning notes of "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" with his right hand. "See?" he told the two. "You press the keys and that's how the music is made." 

The two stared with wide eyes. Akira looked up at Rio. "Do again?" he requested. 

Rio grinned, repeating the soft notes once more. "Do you two want to try?" he urged them. 

Yukina was the first to hesitantly reach out to press a key. While this strange object had been in her home since she was born, and it was far from the first time she'd heard her uncle Rio play it, she herself had stayed well away from it. It had always seemed large and intimidating to her, but now, with her uncle at her side and best friend on the other end of the seat, it felt...inviting. 

Rio softly guided her hand to the first note he played. While his fingers were long enough to easily glide over the keys, the toddler's hand was only a little larger than the key itself. She pressed down on it twice like she'd seen Rio do, and her eyes widened at the way she produced the same sound he did. Immediately, she turned to her mother. "Music!" she exclaimed. 

Ren smiled. "Yes, that was very good!" she encouraged as Yuuto continued to film on the side. 

"Now you, Akira," Rio turned his attention to the other toddler. "Do you want to follow Yukina?" 

Akira nodded, reaching out as well, and with an amused grin, Rio guided his hand to the second note. At their current level, they would need to seriously work together if they wanted to produce something resembling music and not mere cacophony. Although, since they were still babies, he didn't expect much. The two would have more than enough time to learn and sharpen their skills. 

Akira pressed the second note twice, almost jumping out of his seat. Rio encouraged him by gently ruffling his mop of black hair. 

"Let's try this," he told the two. "Yukina, you play first, then Akira, then I'll go. Once I play, Akira, you play your note once, alright?" he instructed the toddlers. 

At their nodding, he urged them to begin. Like they'd planned, Yukina went first, pressing the key twice, followed by Akira who did the same. Once he was done, Rio played the next couple of notes and then paused for Akira to play the last note. At the end, the two kids seemed both enchanted and elated at the fact that they'd produced music. 

At the side, Wataru and Ren stood frozen. Somehow, a new feeling seemed to emerge within Ren as she watched her daughter attempt to create music. 

"Feels weird, doesn't it?" Wataru asked softly. "Feels like we're one step closer to them not needing us anymore." 

Ren nodded softly. In her mind's eye, it was becoming easier and easier to visualize Yukina growing up, especially now. "Yeah," she agreed. "But, I'm still happy." 

"How come?" Wataru asked. 

"Doesn't it also feel like we'll become closer to them now?" Ren asked. "After all, music is our world. If they come to enjoy it..." 

Wataru chuckled at that, opting to stay silent. However, the look he shared with Ren told her he knew exactly what she was going to say.

Rio petted the two on their heads. "You two did well," he encouraged. "Goryo," he called out, not even turning his head. "If you're done filming, send that to Shiroishi. I'm sure he'd love to see this." 

"Way ahead of you," Yuuto piped up, already tapping on his phone. 

"Oh, Yuuto, send it to me too," Ren said, her gaze falling on the happy face of her daughter. "There's someone else who also needs to see this." 

* * *

Nayuta had just called a break when his phone beeped, leading him to go over and check it. He already had a good idea who it was, since only one person had the privilege to message him in the middle of his practice, composition or recording sessions, but even then she hardly did unless it was something incredibly important. 

"A video?" he murmured as he unlocked his phone, seeing the top notification from Ren being a video. 

"Rio stopped by today and taught the kids a bit of music," the message from his wife read. 

"Kikyo, huh?" he murmured. 

"Nayuta, what's wrong?" The vocalist raised his head to see Kenta emerging from the recording booth, guitar remaining behind as he moved to get a bottle of water. 

Nayuta hummed absentmindedly. "It seems Kikyo played the piano for a bit with the kids," he related, curiosity overcoming him as he opened the video. 

"The piano?" Miyuki suddenly piped up out of nowhere, abandoning his sheet music to rush over to Nayuta's side. "Ooh, I wanna see!" 

"Me too~!" Ryo followed after. 

Reon stayed quiet, but as he leaned over curiously, it was no secret that he was able to see Nayuta's phone screen without much issue. 

Nayuta sighed, at his wit's end with his band. However, he simply played the video. 

It was short, but it left him feeling strange as he watched his little girl with her tiny hand on the piano keys somehow producing the first few notes of Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. Was this pride he was feeling? 

Whatever it was, all Nayuta wanted to do at the moment was return to his family to see this with his own eyes. 

Kenta chuckled. "Well, that was unbelievably cute," he commented. 

"For toddlers, that was actually quite good," Reon piped up. 

Miyuki nodded. "You can clearly tell those two have a sense for music already." 

Nayuta gritted his teeth. "If you all are done..." he began. "Sakaigawa, get back in there. Your drumming is sub-par to your stage performance." 

As Miyuki defeatedly left for the booth, another message popped up on Nayuta's phone from Ren. "Actually, I was thinking we could have Rio over to teach them more often? Would that be okay?" the message read. 

Nayuta considered it for a moment. "Sure, will talk later," he sent before placing his phone back face down so he could direct Miyuki's drumming properly. 

* * *

Rio had been having a coffee with Banri at a cafe when he'd received the call from Ren. 

"Teach the kids piano once a week?" he echoed. Unable to help it, a smile spread across his face. "Of course, how could I refuse? I'll definitely teach them well." 

Banri peered over his glass of water, smirking softly. "Oho, teaching toddlers already?" he chuckled. "You should charge for that." 

"Shiroishi..." Rio shooo his head, laughing.

"I'm serious! You know Ren-kun's loaded ever since she married Nayuta. Actually..." Banri thought about it. "You wanna start a business with me? We'll get as much as possible out of that guy!" 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Headcanon that Banri keeps trying to get Nayuta to invest in his schemes


	10. What We Could Lose

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A tragedy occurs at home, causing Nayuta to pick up the pieces.
> 
> TW: Mature themes! Please consider skipping this chapter if you do not want to read about loss

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Idk why but I just wanted to write angst, even though this story is mostly fluff. 
> 
> We'll get back to fluff after this one I promise.

The moment Kenta relayed the news to Nayuta, his world seemed to have stopped. 

He was quick to tell the rest of his band that practise was cancelled that day, and as the others packed up to get ready to leave, he'd immediately dialled Wataru. Wataru had informed him that he and Yuuto had already picked Yukina up from daycare for a sleepover with Akira. According to them, the child was still blissfully unaware of the tragedy that had just happened. 

His daughter's location settled and plans made to care for her, Nayuta was quick to leave, driving as fast as possible so that he could return home. 

Why had this happened? he wondered. Why now? 

However, all questions dissipated from his mind as he ran through the door of his home, frantically looking for his wife.

_Where was she?_

Luckily, he was quick to find her, on the living room couch wrapped in the blanket they'd bought together when the two of them had first bought this house. The TV was on, but Ren didn't seem to be registering anything, her eyes glassy and emotionless as tears ran down her face. 

Nayuta's heart hurt at the sight. He was used to seeing the person he loved smiling and laughing, or stubborn and determined. This look...he hated it on her, the way she looked like the life had left her. 

"Ren..." 

His voice seemed to reach her through the tumultuous sea of thoughts she was currently drowning in. Her head shot up in surprise, not expecting him to be home sp early. 

"N-Nayuta-kun?" she stammered, struggling to keep the shake out of her voice. She quickly forced herself to sit up, wiping the tears away from her face. "W-what are you doing back so soon? Don't you have practice?" 

"Don't force yourself," Nayuta said, taking a seat on the couch next to her. "Satozuka already told me what happened." 

Ren's eyes widened. "How did he-?" She then paused and let out a forced chuckle. "Wataru, huh?" she guessed. "Even after I told him not to worry you like that." 

Nayuta sighed heavily. "It's good he did, or I probably wouldn't have known." 

Ren turned away as fresh tears made their way to her eyes. "Perhaps I didn't want you to know..." she trailed off, her voice small and defeated. 

"Know what? That we just lost our baby?" 

Nayuta truly lived up to his reputation of cutting straight through the bullshit and hitting the nail right on the head. 

Ren had just had a miscarriage. 

Nayuta sighed deeply, wrapping his arms around Ren, allowing her to lean into him and bury her face in his chest, sobbing lightly. "I'm sorry," he softly said. "I shouldn't have said that." 

She shook her head. "No, you're right. I was being an idiot, again." She softly gasped as he tightened his grip around her. "Just like I always am." 

"Don't say that," Nayuta said, pressing his lips to the top of her head. 

"It hurts, Nayuta-kun," Ren said softly and he could feel the tears soaking through his shirt. "It hurts so much." 

"I know, Ren. I know." 

While Ren's first pregnancy had been quite a delight for the both of them, considering they'd been trying for many months with no results, this new one had come as a surprise. Neither of them had expected it, so when he'd walked into the bathroom to find Ren with a positive pregnancy test and freaking out, Nayuta had absolutely no idea what to do. 

It had come so suddenly that the two had to sit and have a serious talk about what to do. While on one hand, Yukina would get a sibling, and she had been asking for one too after seeing a couple of sibling pairs at the daycare. And because of the closeness in their ages, the two might get along as well as she and Akira did, maybe better since they'd literally spend all the time together. 

On the other hand, the first pregnancy hadn't been rainbows and sunshine for Ren, and that had been when she was 27. Now she was 30, and the doctor had told her back then itself that any more pregnancies could negatively impact her body. It had been enough for Nayuta to shut down the idea of any more new kids, as he refused to sacrifice Ren's health for any kids he had yet to meet and bond with.

Not to mention, if they did go ahead with this new baby, Argonavis might not recover from another year long hiatus like they'd taken when Ren first had Yukina. 

Their new plans might have to be making Argonavis a part time band and getting full time jobs, or replacing Ren as their vocalist. And none of them were ready to consider the latter option. Not only were her friends absolutely against the idea of having another vocalist after twelve years, Nayuta himself refused to stand on a stage Ren wouldn't stand on. 

The news had come as such a shock to all of them that the only ones who even knew were Argonavis, and of course Nayuta had confided in Kenta to get his opinion a couple of times. They hadn't even told Yukina, still unsure of their own plans, not wanting to bring her expectations up and then trash them. 

Yet, less than two weeks after the reveal, this had happened. 

Reb sniffled slightly as her sobs subsided. "I...I know we were...considering...termination," she said through heavy breaths. "But...this happened so suddenly..." 

"I know, Ren," Nayuta whispered. "It's not your fault." 

"It feels like it is," Ren curled deeper into her husband's body, seeking his closeness and comfort. "We had to fight so hard for Yukina too back then. It's like... the universe is constantly telling me I'm not fit to be a mother!" 

It hurt Nayuta's heart to hear those words, just like it did the first time he heard them, back when they were trying for a child the first time. "Don't say that," he told her. "You're an amazing mother." 

"Am I really though?" she asked, so far in her own pain that she was unable to register his genuine compliments. "When even one child was such an ordeal and the moment we have a surprise child, it gets taken away from us?" 

"You are," Nayuta insisted. "I should know." Ren soberly nodded. "You're an amazing mother, you're an amazing partner, and you're an amazing vocalist." 

She took a shaky breath as Nayuta adjusted himself so he was a bit more comfortable. "We have each other," he continued. "And we have a beautiful daughter. We also have that dog for some reason." He gestured with his head to the husky laying his head on the couch, looking up at his owner with large, sad eyes. "What more do we need?" he asked, hugging Ren a bit tighter and rubbing her shoulder. "Our family is complete. I couldn't ask for anything more." 

Ren pulled away from him for a moment to look at him directly. "Y...you mean that?" she asked softly. 

"When have I ever said anything I didn't mean?" 

Ren nodded softly, knowing that considering the way her husband was, he'd never say anything that he didn't truly believe in. As she took another shaky breath, he cupped her cheeks with his hands and brought his forehead to rest against hers, letting his fingers wipe the tears at the edge of her eyes. 

"You're really okay with being with me?" Ren asked. 

He scoffed. "Who else would I be with?" he retorted. "As far as I remember, you're the only one who's moved my heart. I don't need anybody else." He pulled back slightly to tilt his head so he could kiss Ren. "I just need you." 

Nayuta's kiss was slow, soft and gentle, and it was all Ren needed for the fog to clear from her brain. "Where's Yukina?" she asked softly. 

"Goryo and Matoba have her for the night," Nayuta informed. "You need a break tonight." 

Ren nodded, biting her lip slightly. Despite her desire to protest, she had no energy left from the horrifying day she'd just had. 

"Does it hurt?" Nayuta asked softly. 

Ren shook her head. "Physically...no. But..." 

"I understand." They sat in silence for a bit, as Ren's gaze fell to his collarbone peeking out from under his shirt as she continued to sniffle. He continued to wipe her tears, just staying with her as long as she needed him. Eventually, he moved her, urging her to sit up. 

"Come on," Nayuta said. "Let's get you to bed." 

Ren shook her head. "Nayuta-kun, can we...just stay here for a while?" 

"Stay here?" he repeated, a bit surprised. He'd assumed after the day she'd had, she'd kill for the chance to get to sleep and make it pass. 

She nodded. "I want to stay with Nayuta-kun for a bit." 

Nayuta sighed, knowing he couldn't refuse her the eay she was right now. Pulling the blanket a little more over her body, he snuck under it as well, adjusting himself so Ren could rest against his chest. 

"You know we'll get through this, right?" he softly asked her. 

She nodded. "We always do, when we're together," she agreed. She snuggled into him, allowing him to wrap his arms around her, pressing his lips to the side of her head, slowly trailing kisses down her jaw. 

"Yukina comes back tomorrow, right?" Ren softly asked. 

Nayuta hummed softly as he pressed his lips to her cheek. He waited for whatever was going on in her mind, but it seemed she'd forgotten about it, simply closing her eyes on him and falling asleep to the sound of his heartbeat. 

He sighed, reaching over to grab the remote and turn the TV off. Then, he turned back down to look at Ren. 

He hated seeing her like this, but couldn't even begin to imagine just how devastated she must be feeling. After all, he was feeling quite devastated himself, so she must be feeling something tenfold. 

Nayuta felt absolutely helpless. What could he do, other than to simply be there? Yet, he was always wrought with the thought that he could do more. 

He sighed, watching Ren's sleeping face. "Oi," he gently shook her awake. "At least sleep in your bed." 

She pushed her face into his body, murmuring something that sounded like, "don't wanna move." 

"I'll carry you up there if need be," Nayuta threatened. 

"Carry me then," was Ren's answer, making Nayuta scoff. 

"Seriously," he complained softly. "You'll be the death of me one day." 

Despite his griping, he still scooped Ren up in his arms, grunting a bit as he'd gotten used to Yukina's weight and hadn't carried Ren in quite a while now. She wrapped her arms around his neck, pushing her face into his skin. While normally he'd delight in the intinate gesture, it wasn't hard for him to notice that Ren was still shaking. 

Exhaling heavily, he brought her up to their bedroom, laying her down on the silk sheets. However, when he attempted to pull away so he could take care of some other business, he found Ren grasping at his sleeve. 

"Can you stay with me?" she asked him, fixing him with her amethyst gaze. "I just... don't want to be alone tonight."

"Of course," Nayuta found himself saying. Before he knew what he was doing, he was already in the bed, hovering over Ren with his arms on either side of her face. "You won't be alone...ever. Weren't those our vows?" 

Ren bit her lip, nodding as Nayuta dipped his head to press his lips to her neck. "Rest," he told her gently. "I won't be going anywhere." 

Ren wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him into a hug as she tried to stop fresh tears from leaving her eyes. 

They had lost something important that day, but Ren knew, and had faith, that the two of them already had all they needed. And as long as they were at each other's side, they could weather any storm the universe would throw at them. 


	11. Timeless

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's New Year's, and Akira decides to join Yuuto and Wataru in their annual tradition.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fluff, fluff and diabetes inducing fluff coming up!

New Year's was a special day for Yuuto and Wataru. From the first year they met, where Yuuto had barged into Wataru's apartment with five bottles of Ribbon Napolin in hand, intending on finishing them by the time the sun came up, it had become a tradition for the two of them to wait and watch the first sunrise of the year. It still held a special place in Wataru's heart even all these years later, as it was on one particular New Year's Eve, when the rest of the band had gone to bed, that Yuuto had confessed to him that he loved him. 

They broke their tradition that night, because the two had been way too busy expressing their love for each other to think about the fact that they missed the first sunrise. 

They didn't miss it since, always making sure to wait up even after everyone else went to bed after midnight, taking the time for it to just be the two of them. They'd talk all through the night about random things, dissolving into drunken laughter as the first rays of the sun would peek out over the horizon. 

It had become an unspoken rule among Argonavis that it was a moment just for the two of them. Banri never really stayed too long after midnight struck, heading to bed citing his early starting jobs in the morning. Ren almost always struggled with keeping her eyes open past a certain time, so they'd have to call Nayuta to drag her away protesting and put her to bed. Rio could have stayed up with them, but had declined, knowing fully well that those darkest hours before the dawn would always belong to the co-founders of the band. 

The previous year, they'd had a cute little addition to their little family. Their first New Year's with Akira had been an emotional event for all three of them. However, due to the child's young age then, they had put him to bed before midnight struck and then continued on their little tradition. 

They'd planned to do something similar this year, when Akira had suddenly piped up that he wanted to be with them. 

Yuuto blinked in confusion. "Be with us?" he asked. "What are you talking about?"

The toddler reached out his arms as Wataru picked him up. "Stay up!" he clarified. "With Papa!" 

"Stay up?" Wataru asked. "Are you talking about New Year's?" 

The toddler nodded, leaving Wataru to grin softly. It seemed he had noticed that the two hadn't gone to bed last year. "You want to watch the sunrise with us, is that right?" Wataru guessed. 

Akira nodded fervently and Wataru chuckled amusedly. On the other hand, Yuuto looked more worried. "O-oi," he started. "Isn't that too late for him? Would it even be possible?" 

Wataru furrowed his brows. "That does concern me too," he admitted. "It's way past your bedtime, Akira. Are you sure you can stay up that late?"

Akira gave a determined grunt. "Will stay up with Papa!" he declared. 

Wataru raised his eyes to meet Yuuto's with an amused grin. "What do you think, Yu?" he asked. 

Yuuto pursed his lips slightly as he considered it. "Eh, why not?" he finally decided. "If he really can stay up with us, then I'd say he's earned it, wouldn't you?" 

"He has been on a strict bedtime schedule though," Wataru fretted. "What if it throws his whole schedule out of sync? Remember those first few months he'd wake up in the middle of the night and then sleep through the day?" 

Yuuto cringed internally at the memory of many, many sleepless nights. "That's definitely there," he agreed, scratching the back of his head. "I... I'm sure we can handle it, right? He's a kid, and kids sleep a lot anyways." 

Wataru sighed. "I'm worried he'll push himself too far staying up so late," he admitted as Akira reached out to touch the pins in his hair, standing out against his red hair. "What if he falls asleep and misses the sunrise?" 

The child shook his head. "Won't sleep!" he declared once more. "Be with Papa and Yu-kun!" 

Yuuto took the opportunity to quickly take him from Wataru's arms. "Appreciate your energy, son," he told the child. "But for now, let's give your father a break, alright? It's your naptime." 

Akira blinked at him. "Put me to sleep?" he asked, sounding disappointed. 

"New Year's Eve isn't for another week," Yuuto told him. "We won't be staying up today, so you can nap properly." 

That seemed to be enough to convince the two year old that his fathers wouldn't leave him behind, and he allowed Yuuto to take him to their bedroom and tuck him in for his afternoon nap. While he was gone, Wataru took the time to consider the situation, hoping to have a bit more clarity by the time his husband returned. 

Unfortunately, he wasn't any closer to clarity than before the twenty minutes that the guitarist was gone. And when he returned to the living room, he found Wataru staring intently at his cup of coffee, a crease between his eyebrows and lips pursed. 

"You're really taking this seriously," he commented. "Why?" 

Wataru leaned back against the couch. "Of course I'm serious about this," he said. "It's because _he_ is." He took a deep breath. "I'm not sure I'm alright with just brushing him off, because he seems to care about this a lot. I think he just wants to be with us." 

Yuuto plopped down onto the chair facing his husband. "So I'm guessing the plan of changing the clocks to make him think its midnight wouldn't work?" he suggested. 

"Not even close," Wataru agreed. 

"We don't even know whether he'll stay up the whole night," Yuuto pointed out. 

"But then again, staying up was _our_ thing," Wataru replied. "Perhaps all he needs is to be awake to see the sunrise." 

Yuuto furrowed his brows. "So you're suggesting we let Akira sleep and wake him up when the sun rises?" he guessed. 

Wataru nodded and Yuuto's face erupted in a smile. "That's a great idea!" he exclaimed. "He gets to partake in our tradition without having to push himself too far!" 

"I mean, I'm not sure he'll be fine with it if we tell him we'll be putting him to bed," Wataru reasoned. "All I'm saying is, if he's gonna fall asleep anyway, we don't keep him awake forcefully until its time." 

Yuuto nodded. "I can get behind that," he said, grinning widely. "As expected from my husband!" 

Wataru chuckled softly. "So, you're good with the plan?" 

Yuuto nodded fervently. "It's perfect!" 

* * *

Wataru was having a dream. He knew that well, however he still didn't know why he was dreaming of this scene, in this place, on this night. 

However, he knew better than to resist and just let the scene play out. 

He was back in Submariner, sitting by the counter as he spun a half-empty coffee cup in his hands. Master had kept him company for a bit, but when he needed help in the back, Rio and Banri had volunteered to help, and Master had also enlisted Ren to help set up supplies in the back. Thus, Wataru found himself alone, and in wait for the last member of their band who had yet to arrive. 

Ironic, considering he was the freaking leader in the first place. 

As Wataru waited, his thoughts drifted as his thumb ran across the rim of the cup. At one moment, Ren's phone rang, and Wataru was quick to answer and let her husband know what she was up to. 

It still felt strange, how he and Yuuto had been together the longest, yet it was surprisingly Nayuta and Ren who had married first. 

Wataru, being a brother figure to Ren, had of course been the gentleman of honor at her wedding. And since Nayuta had picked Kenta to be his best man, organising the wedding such that no one ended up dying was a breeze, well as much of a breeze it was working with Asahi Nayuta. 

In the dash that was Argonavis helping Ren get married, Wataru had barely stopped to think about himself and Yuuto. The thought only began to strike him as the final day inched closer. He'd gone through the entire process feeling like a proud father as he watched Ren go from the soft spoken vocalist to an adult, yet when he stood behind her as she and Nayuta exchanged their vows, Wataru couldn't help but wonder what Yuuto must have been thinking. 

It was no secret that both of them had been deeply scarred by the relationships in their lives. Wataru's parents' divorce had left him not being to trust anyone in love for a long time, until he met Yuuto. And even though Yuuto's parents were still together, it was a loveless marriage held together by the fear of societal shame. It had screwed up Yuuto's vision of love for years, until he had met Wataru. 

Wataru loved that Yuuto knew him so well that he hadn't pushed him to go any further than what was necessary. Apart from his confession and their first time together, Yuuto had let Wataru dictate the pace of their relationship. The only other exception being when they had moved in together, resulting from a situation where Yuuto was on the verge of being kicked out of his apartment and Wataru had found him with his stuff in front of his door. 

However, marriage...was a step that was way too real for them to consider. 

Yet, Wataru was sure that Yuuto still believed in marriage somewhat, especially since he loved Wataru. And Wataru's feelings for his leader often scared him by how intense they were. 

But were those feelings strong enough for him to take a chance on marriage? After what he'd seen his parents go through and the effect it had on him and his brother? 

He cast a look down at his cup once more, letting a smile tug at the corner of his lips. Yeah, feelings were scary, but perhaps they didn't have to relive their parents' stories. 

The door opened and Wataru turned to find Yuuto walking through, looking as if he'd just woken up, with his jacket missing and hair disheveled. "Sorry, am I late?" he panicked. 

Wataru shook his head. "Nope," he chuckled. "We just got here early." 

His boyfriend ran a frustrated hand through his hair. "Which means I'm late, again!" he complained. "Why didn't you wake me?" he asked as he slid into the chair next to Wataru. 

"You were tired," Wataru said simply, sipping his coffee. "I didn't want to trouble you." 

Yuuto sighed. "Wataru, I love that you care for me like this, but its a meeting that we called with the band," he said. "Remember, we agreed that when we're with the band, we're not boyfriends, we're colleagues." 

Wataru sighed in response. "Yeah, yeah," he shook the other off. "And as your colleague, I made the professional decision to let you get some rest." 

Yuuto gave a light chuckle. "Well played," he admitted. He then looked around to find Submariner unusually empty, with not even Master around. "Where is everyone?" 

"Helping Master in the back," Wataru supplied. "He's getting old, you know?" 

Yuuto hummed. "Makes sense," he agreed. 

As Wataru took another sip of his coffee, Yuuto turned around to take a look at the quaint little cafe that had been the birthplace of Argonavis. As he relived all the memories of their times in this place, his gaze fell to the small stage upon which rested a drum set, slightly rusting with disuse, and a smile formed on his face. 

"Yu?" Wataru asked. "What're you thinking?" 

Yuuto smiled fondly. "Just...how much time has passed," he said. "Do you remember when I first brought you here?"

Wataru nodded. "How long ago was that? Six? Seven years ago?" He chuckled softly. "I remember you as being a guy with such a troubled heart for someone so energetic." 

Yuuto looked at him out of the corner of his eyes. "That's what you thought of me back then?" 

Wataru grinned. "It was cute, I won't lie," he admitted. 

Yuuto looked like he wanted to argue, but eventually slumped back in mock defeat. "Yeah, I don't really like the me back then," he spoke, raising his eyes to the ceiling. "I was in a bad place then, but I'm still glad I met you. You were like a lighthouse, you know, guiding me through the storm?" He gave a chuckle as he just realized how cheesy yet poetic his rambling sounded. "You were my light, Wataru, and also the light of Argonavis." 

"It really was fate that we met, huh?" Wataru commented. "After all, I needed you to guide me through my own storm." He took a quick look around the place, at the empty chairs and tables arranged throughout the room. "This was where it all began for us." 

Yuuto nodded. "It certainly did," he murmured, mostly to himself. However, while he was focused on something else, he didn't notice that Wataru had moved. 

"Yu." 

Yuuto looked back down and his mouth dropped at the sight before him, of Wataru on one knee and a small black box in his hand, showcasing a platinum band grasping a shining diamond. 

"Wataru, what is-"

"Shh, Yu. Let me say this," Wataru effectively shut the other up. He then took a deep breath as he continued to speak. 

"We've been together a long time now, Yu, and every day has been magical. I know we've been putting things off because we... _I'm_...scared of what this next step means. But, I think I'm ready to try, if it means I get to do it with you." He gave a small chuckle. "I'm supposed to be the lyricist here, but I can't think of anything to say. All I know is...I want to spend the rest of my life with _you_." 

It was here, where it all began, that Wataru had made his move. 

"Goryo Yuuto, will you marry me?" 

* * *

Wataru's eyes slowly fluttered open, registering a heaviness on the right side of his chest. As his vision returned to him, he turned his head to find that Akira was curled on him, head resting on his chest where they both lay splayed out on the couch, a blanket covering them.

Wait, what?

Wataru sat up enough that he wouldn't disturb the toddler, looking around. His gaze fell to the table not far from the couch, where he found Yuuto sipping a bottle of Ribbon Napolin, gazing outside. Upon hearing Wataru move, however, he turned back. 

"Oh, you're awake!" he said in a hushed whisper so as to not wake Akira. 

Wataru rubbed his eyes with his free hand, his other keeping the child steady and unmoving as he snored gently. "Uh, what time is it?" he asked, wracking his brain. 

As far as he remembered, the three of them had stayed up till midnight on New Year's Eve. After welcoming the new year, Akira had reached his limit and had fallen asleep on Wataru, where he had stayed unmoving since. The fathers had stayed up talking about anything and everything, untill sometime around three or so when Yuuto had left to go and get another bottle of Napolin for the two of them. Wataru remembered not being able to move due to the baby on them and simply casting his eyes to the ceiling as he waited for his husband to return.

Yuuto checked his watch. "It's five in the morning." 

Wataru's eyes widened. " _Five?_ " his mouth dropped. He then rubbed his eyes in frustration. "Shit, shit, I fell asleep!" 

Yuuto considered him with an amused grin. "Why're you so worked up?" he asked. 

"Because I missed our tradition!" Wataru complained. "It might not be much, but it's our time together and I just..." 

"Were tired and exhausted from practice, writing lyrics, managing the band and caring for an energetic two year old," Yuuto ticked them off on his fingers. He smiled knowingly at him. "Why do you think I didn't wake you? I know exactly what you've been going through." 

"Yu..." Wataru sighed. "But, our tradition..." 

"Traditions change," Yuuto spoke. "It's quite far fetched anyway, that the same thing works all the way from when we're twenty to thirty, you know?" He exhaled softly. "We've got different priorities now." 

Wataru bit his lip but nodded in agreement. "Yeah," he agreed. "Especially since this guy came into our lives." He affectionately ran his fingers through the toddler's ebony locks. "Multiple all nighters in a row just isn't a possibility anymore for us, is it?"

Yuuto grinned, taking a swig from the bottle. "Remember when we were back in college and I'd leave all my assignments till the day before they were due?" he asked. 

Wataru laughed. "For someone so smart, you were quite irresponsible then," he joked. "I had to stay up with you because otherwise you wouldn't finish in time." 

"Perhaps I just put it off because I wanted an excuse to be with you?" Yuuto suggested. 

Wataru pursed his lips for a moment and then shook his head. "Nah, you were also terrible at doing your work on time." 

"That is true," Yuuto begrudgingly agreed. He paused for a moment, his loving gaze flickering between his husband and his son for a bit. "Things really have changed for us since college, huh?" he murmured. 

Wataru took a deep breath. "Yu..." 

Yuuto shook his head, stopping his husband. "No, it's alright. Things have changed for us, which is why I'm not too bothered about our tradition changing." 

"Changing?" Wataru asked. 

Yuuto nodded. "Old traditions never last, we both know that," he said. "But, it doesn't mean it's always a bad thing, you know?" He gestured to the two figures on the couch. "Because, even though you and I didn't have our annual 'stay up till the sun rises' moments, I'm happier than ever, because I'm with the two people I love more than anyone else in the world. I'm with my family, and that's all I need."

Wataru couldn't help the smile that found its way to his face, casting a quick look back down to Akira. Yuuto, in the meantime, finished off his bottle and turned around. "Oh, the sun's rising!" he exclaimed. 

Wataru raised his head to see Yuuto pointing to the open window. Outside, the sky had changed color from a deep dark blue to a rich purple color dyed in pinks. 

He pulled himself up and off the bed, bringing Akira with him. "Wake him up," Yuuto urged him, which he did, gently shaking the toddler awake. 

Akira's azure blues opened sleepily as the child yawned, a bit fussy at his sleep being disturbed. "Akira, the sun's coming up," Wataru told him. "You wanted to watch the sunrise with us, right?" 

That seemed to be enough to bring energy to the boy, taking his mind off the fact that he'd slept through the night and not stayed up with his fathers like he had wanted to. Akira quickly rubbed the sleep out of his eyes with his hands, having Wataru put him down before running to the window excitedly. 

Yuuto laughed lightly, picking him up to place him on a chair so he could see the rising sun more clearly. The little boy placed his tiny palms on the window sill, eyes wide and shining as the bright yellow sun peeked over the horizon. 

Wataru ruffled Akira's hair. "Make a wish," he told him, relating something his own brother had once said to him back when they were little kids themselves. "Wish on the rising sun and it'll come true." 

As Akira frowned, thinking of what to wish for, Yuuto slipped his arm around Wataru's waist, pulling him into his side and pressing his lips to his head.

"I wish this family stays forever." 


	12. The Future Belongs to Us

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Miyuki has a weird, weird dream.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was going to post this tomorrow, but I already had this written out and wanted to get this out just in time for NayuRen week!

"Miyuki-san! Wake up!" 

Miyuki forced his eyes open to the sound of an unfamiliar voice. As he blinked, he noticed a decidedly female figure sitting next to him. 

Did he perhaps have a one night stand and fall asleep or something? No, that couldn't be right, because the last thing he remembered was being over at Nayuta's in order to babysit the two kids while their parents went out on individual dates. 

Ah, now he remembered. 

He jolted awake, his eyes coming to rest on a young girl standing beside the couch where he'd fallen asleep. "Ah, you're finally awake!" she exclaimed, giving him a bright smile. 

He didn't recognize this girl in the slightest. He wondered once more whether she was one of his numerous flings, but she looked like a high schooler, and thus way too young for him. While he was known to be promiscuous, he had a hard time being with anyone below college years, since all girls younger than that looked like children to him. 

Speaking of children, he cast his quick gaze around the room as he remembered he was supposed to be watching over two children. However, he found a distinct lack of toddlers around him.

And yet...this girl...

He had to hit himself with how it took him so long to realize that the girl in front him looked so similar to Ren, especially with those enchanting violet eyes that bordered on red and light blue hair pulled into a ponytail, curls falling over her shoulder. 

Could it be...? 

"Y-Yukina?" he asked softly. 

She had turned away for a moment, but the moment the name was said, the young girl turned back around. "Yes?" she asked, confirming Miyuki's suspicions. 

His heart dropped slightly. This was Yukina? Nayuta's daughter? 

It... couldn't be, right? Yukina was still a toddler, still tiny enough for him to carry her with one hand. Wasn't she? 

A scoff drew his attention once more, and he turned his head to find the source of the deep, masculine voice, his eyes falling on the counter. There, sat a young boy around the girl's age, wearing a high school uniform with the blazer discarded on the seat beside him. "You're bothering him again, aren't you?" he asked the girl. "I told you to leave him alone. He'll just get in the way." 

The girl blinked. "But if we don't wake him, he won't get to see our performance, right?" she asked. "Miyuki-san specifically asked us to wake him up when we're about to practice." 

The boy huffed slightly. "I'm fine with not having an audience," he stated bluntly. 

Miyuki narrowed his eyes at the unfamiliar boy. Unlike Yukina, the resemblance simply didn't strike him at once. The boy didn't have any features that resembled any of the people he knew, his hair a shade of vibrant red that reminded him only slightly of Kenta's own bright red hair. However, one could also see black hair peeking from the roots and pushing back against what he surmised as dyed hair. Apart from that, thick frames rested on his nose, almost covering his whole face.

As Miyuki struggled to place the boy, he opened his eyes and the blond almost gasped. 

Azure blue...

Miyuki knew those eyes anywhere. 

"You shouldn't be like that, Akira-kun!" the girl said, moving away from Miyuki's side. "It's good to have a pro's opinion, you know?" 

Akira? The boy was Goryo and Matoba's son? This teenager? 

Miyuki had to rub his eyes for a moment, blinking once more. This is a dream, right? he thought to himself. There's no way I've been asleep for a decade and a half. 

He cleared his throat a bit. "So...uh...you two are in high school, I suppose?" he said, tearing their attention away from each other and back to him. However the looks they had on their faces made him feel he'd asked an incredibly dumb question. 

Yukina was the first to shake it off, nodding. "Yeah!" she said happily. "I'm a third year and Akira-kun's a second year!" She tilted her head slightly. "Although it is a weird question to ask, since you sent us both presents when we graduated middle school, remember?" 

Miyuki decided he had no choice but to play along. "Oh...yeah...I remember..." he replied, trying to keep the uncertainty out of his voice. Another thought piqued him. "Then I suppose Yori-kun's a college student then?" he asked, suddenly remembering that the son of the drummer and bassist of Fantome Iris was five years older than them. 

Yukina laughed. "Silly!" she said. "Yori-kun's a manager, of course!" 

"Y...yeah...of course..." 

Akira then clicked his tongue. "We're wasting time," he said to her. "If we're going to meet the rest then we should get going now." 

Yukina turned to him. "Already?" she asked. "But I was hoping to at least show Miyuki-san our new song! If Dad can't be here, then I want a pro to look at it!" 

_New song? Practice? The rest?_

"Are you two in a band, by any chance?" Miyuki suddenly asked. 

Yukina nodded once more. "I thought my father told you already," she said. "That's why we asked you over, you know?" 

Akira sighed. "Yukina, we really should go," he urged, and Miyuki had trouble missing the shift in his tone. "If we really want to do this, we can't rely on our parents, not even their associates." 

Yukina sighed softly. "I suppose you're right," she relented. "Then we should get ready, huh?" 

Akira hummed softly, turning to grasp at the object resting on the ground against the counter. It took Miyuki a moment to register it as a guitar, but not just any, if the recognizable blue-green splatter was anything to go by. He knew this instrument, after all, he'd seen it played on stage numerous times over the past twelve years. 

"That's Go...Yuuto's guitar, isn't it?" Miyuki noticed. 

The red haired teen paused in his tracks, turning to look at the adult. "It's mine," he clarified. "I mean...it _used_ to be his, but it's mine now." 

Yukina frowned softly. "You're acting weird, Miyuki-san," she said. "You were there when Uncle Yuuto gave Akira-kun that guitar." 

Miyuki's mind raced, thinking of an explanation. How could he explain to them that this was all just a dream and that he still remembered them as little children? "I...suppose it's just not my day." 

He pursed his lips. "A band, huh?" he murmured. "So what was it that made you join?" he asked. "Inspired by your mother or your father's performances?" 

He then was more than surprised when she tilted her head, regarding him curiously. "Inspired? What do you mean?" she asked. "I just joined a band because singing is all I know." She then gestured behind her towards the other boy. "Akira-kun joined when I did." 

Akira exhaled. "That's just because I can't leave you alone," he said to her. "Someone has to make sure you don't trip and fall onto a landmine." 

She huffed indignantly. "Stop treating me like a child!" she exclaimed. "I am older than you, you know?" 

"Oh?" he replied, completely unperturbed by her mock annoyance. "Then act like it." 

Miyuki blinked. What was this feeling? 

Did...these two not go into music because they were inspired? 

A distant memory surfaced in the back of his mind, back when Yukina was still an infant, of Nayuta speaking to Kenta. Miyuki had unintentionally eavesdropped on their conversation, and had no idea what set it off, but distinctly remembered Kenta commenting how Yukina would most likely be a genius later in her life, pointing to an online article announcing that the King of the World had an Heir, but Nayuta telling him that he wanted her to choose her own path in life. He had extracted a promise from Kenta that day, that if anything ever happened to him, that he wouldn't get her into music, unless she chose that path herself. 

It seemed now that all his efforts were in vain. His daughter had found music, but it wasn't the way he or her mother had. Rather it was because it was all she knew. 

And Akira...

It seemed the only reason he'd picked up music was to keep up with Yukina. After all, he'd joined a band to support and keep an eye on her, not because he loved the music and the thrill of being on stage.

Something tugged at Miyuki's heart, telling him it wasn't right. 

This wasn't how it was supposed to be. 

These two were meant to find their own paths in life, not follow in their parents' footsteps because they knew nothing else.

However, when he raised his head to see the two teens bickering once more, a small smile tugged at the corners of his lips. 

Perhaps...these two would be fine. 

Sure, they were currently involved in their parents' world without the passion, but perhaps they'd find it later. After all, hadn't they all found their own passion for music later? Miyuki distinctly remembered joining a band simply to be popular, a much shallower excuse than these two had. And yet, music had found its way into his own heart.

Maybe these two would be the same.

And they'd be alright.

He chuckled softly, gaining their attention. "Well, I know nothing about composition, but I'd be willing to look over your song for you, if you'll let me," he offered. 

Yukina's face brightened up while Akira maintained his sullen expression. "You will? Oh, thanks so much, Miyuki-san. You're a lifesaver!" 

As she scrambled away for a moment, Miyuki let his eyes drop. 

This dream was interesting, but he'd much rather be back in the real world, where these two were still innocent toddlers unsullied by the world. 

When he opened his eyes again, he found two pairs of large eyes staring at him. As his vision cleared, he registered heaviness on his body as a result of the two toddlers having climbed up onto his body. 

Upon registering his wakefulness, Yukina straightened slightly. "Uncle Miyuki awake!" she noticed. 

Awake? 

_Guess it really was just a dream then..._

Miyuki let out a small laugh, rubbing the nape of his neck. "I suppose I am," he said, trying not to sound too happy upon seeing them as toddlers once more. "What are you two doing here?" 

Akira blinked at him for a moment, and Miyuki took a moment to appreciate that his hair was black, his natural color once more. "We want ice cream," he stated. 

Yukina nodded somberly. "Uncle Miyuki give ice cream?" she asked hopefully. 

Miyuki let out a breath. The dream he had had shaken him quite a lot, and he was more than happy to return to the real world where these two were still cute little kids he could carry around and spoil to his heart's content. 

But he knew that regardless of his feelings, that one day, his dream would come true. The two lovable toddlers in front of him would grow into that young man and woman he'd seen. They'd grow up, and take on the world with their own power, and he was powerless to stop it. 

However, right now? He was happy to stay in this moment. 

He smiled at them, reaching out to ruffle their hair. "Of course, anything you two want," he told them affectionately. "I'll get you your ice cream." 

As the two cheered cutely, Miyuki allowed himself to make a small wish. 

_If there really is a God of Music, then please let this dream last a bit longer, just a bit longer._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And there we have it folks! The last chapter!
> 
> Whether I publish more in this AU will probably be on whether it's wanted or not, but I wanted to end this right here.
> 
> These are all possible thoughts I had of Yukina and Akira in the future. Things like Akira dyeing his hair to be closer to Wataru and Yuuto passing his guitar down to him are things I can see happening for them. As for their stories, I can imagine their story is about finding what music means to them personally. 
> 
> These are all possibilities, and whether they'll actually happen is to be seen. But I wanted to end on a good note with a possibility of the kids in the future!
> 
> Thank you, for sticking with me all this time! It means a lot that my strange and weird AU is liked enough.


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